Menimienai
by randomlittlephantom
Summary: Kuroko Tetsuya met a young boy by the name of Ogiwara Shigehiro. The boy became her first friend. It was because of him she held a basketball for the first time in her life. When he moved away, they promised to meet again in middle school, through the sport they both loved. Things are not always easy, however. Never for Kuroko Tetsuya. -Teiko- -Fem!Kuroko- Warning: Abuse
1. I am Kuroko Tetsuya

**Chapter 1:**

Sakura petals danced delicately with the wind, littering the brick road that led to the school building. It was the beginning of the spring season, in other words, a new year at school.

"Ne, ne, Dai-chan. Have you decided which club you're going to join?"

"Don't ask something so obvious after all we've done. Of course it's going to be the basketball club. I heard it's pretty strong so I look forward to it." The tall teen grinned, navy blue eyes sparkling with excitement. His companion smiled.

"Oh? Then I can be team manager or something. Want me to make you lunch and stuff?"

"No thanks. If you did, I wouldn't be able to play."

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?!" The pink haired girl demanded. Aomine almost groaned. If he said it directly, Satsuki would definitely beat him up. He was saved from having to come up with an answer as he felt himself bump into a body.

"Sorry about that," he heard a male voice say.

"No it's my fault," Aomine said as he turned around. He was met with a male who looked older, maybe a second year. The boy's eyes gleamed.

"Say, you wouldn't be interested in joining the tennis club, would you?"

"Naa, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm going to be joining basketball."

"Another one?" The male groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Always basketball. Jeesh, Teiko has other sports too, you know?"

...

"Oh, you like books? How about the lit club?" A senior with glasses said enthusiastically, offering a tall first year with a flyer for his club.

"No, this is in fact a phone book," the green headed teen replied.

"A phone book is a fine book!" The senior said eagerly, before comprehending what he had said. "Wait, why are you carrying a phone book?"

"It's today's Oha-asa lucky item for Cancers."

"Uuh..."

...

A bunch of seniors crowded around the enormous teen, fascinated.

"Whoa! You're so tall!"

"Join the volleyball team!"

"Hm..? What to do... Or rather, that's a bother." The purple haired boy replied, brushing stray petals off his head.

...

"Hey, isn't he really handsome?" A girl asked her friend, a deep blush on her face.

"Yeah, he totally is!" Her friend replied, her face just as flushed as the other girls who had seen the blonde 1st year.

"We'd love you!" A bunch of girls chorused, offering him signup sheets to their respective clubs.

"Oh, no..." The blonde trailed off, thinking of the best way to turn them down.

...

A boy with bright red hair stepped out of the car.

"Is this spot really fine?" The older man holding the door asked.

"Yes. I won't need a chauffeur tomorrow."

"But your father..."

"It's not about him. Besides, if every morning was like this, I'll be mocked. Let school at least be somewhere I have freedom." The man's eyes softened before nodding.

"Then, have a good day, young master." The man got back into the car and drove off. Akashi watched the car disappear before turning to walk towards the entrance. He felt a small sense of glee. Any other child his age would enjoy the break and hate returning to school, but Akashi was the opposite. School meant less time he was in contact or being watched by his father. His happiness was cut short as he ran straight into another person. Perhaps it was because he was walking to fast, or the other male was startled, or the fact he was even smaller than himself. The boy tumbled forward and fell to the ground, the letter that had been clutched in his hand falling from his grip.

"Itai..." The boy muttered, picking himself off the ground.

"I apologize, are you all right?" Akashi asked with slight alarm, offering the boy his hand. The boy waved him off gently.

"Iie. I shouldn't have been standing outside the entrance." The boy replied, dusting himself off. Akashi quickly scooped up the letter that had fallen to the ground and offered it to the boy. His eye caught the a picture of a sloppily drawn basketball in the corner. The boy's glanced up to his when he noticed the outstretched hand. Akashi inhaled sharply in surprise. Feminine features framed by sky blue lock adorned equally captivating sky blue eyes. The long blue locks were tied in a low ponytail. It was strange, not many males tended to grow their hair out, but it wasn't unheard of. Had the boy been wearing a female uniform, Akashi might have actually thought him a girl.

"Arigato," The boy said softly, taking the letter and tucking it into his bag. Even his voice was feminine, Akashi noted. Perhaps, did the boy see him get off the car? Akashi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. This was a start of a new school year at different school. There was no way he was going to gain attention already. He was also well aware that this boy could have seen and was trying to gain his friendship for his family background.

"What were you doing outside the gates? If I remember correctly, the opening ceremony's going to start soon." He would know. He had purposefully came at this time so that fewer people could potentially spot the car.

"I-it is?" The boy asked nervously. "Oh, no. There were so many people crowding about, and then I got caught up reading... Never mind. I'm sorry I was in your way. Now you're going to be as late as me..."

"No, no. I was the one who ran into you," Akashi said with a smile. It didn't seem as if the boy knew.

"Then we should get going," The boy said as he quickly walk down the path, Akashi following him at a more sedate pace. As Akashi had said, it was nearly time for the opening ceremony, and the path was cleared of people and the tables that had been set up. Akashi cocked his head as the boy took a left turn.

"Oi!" He called. The boy turned, confusion evident in his eyes. "The opening ceremony's in the gym." The boy waited as Akashi caught up, but turned towards the right. "Opposite direction."

Akashi's mouth quirked in amusement as the boy flushed slightly. The boy quickly scurried over, rubbing his head in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," the boy said in his soft voice. "I'm clumsy and not good with directions... Thank you for stopping me. I might have really been late."

"Think nothing of it. It's the least I could do for knocking you down."

"Please don't say it like that. It sounds like we had a fight, and I lost." Akashi actually chuckled, suspicions completely gone. Perhaps it had been fate he had run into this boy. He had no doubt things would hardly be boring with this person around.

"Sorry for the late introduction, my name is Akashi Seijuurou." Akashi said as he outstretched his hand not dropping his pace. He held his breath, wondering if the boy would recognize his last name.

"Nice to meet you, Akashi-kun. I am Kuroko Tetsuya," the boy said, lightly shaking his hand. Akashi smiled at the boy, though he was surprised a boy's hand could be so small.

"Tetsuya. I hope we get along." Akashi said. The boy nearly tripped.

"T-tetsuya?" The boy asked, surprised.

"Is there a problem?"

"Iie. It's just... Nothing. Ah, Akashi-kun, please hurry."

"Relax, we have just enough time to make it to the gym in time."

* * *

The entrance ceremony was dull. One thing that had sent ominous chills up Kuroko's spine was when the man on the podium was the school motto: "Ever-victorious." Win at everything. Winning was everything.

"I'm in Class 1-A..." Kuroko said as he paused in the hallways. He looked left and right. The nearest door had a sign that said "3-B".

"..." Kuroko realized that the people around him were all taller than him. Much taller than him, although people his age were all taller than him as well. "I'm lost..." Kuroko said with a sigh. "Why is this place so big?"

...

"Kuroko Tetsuya?" The teacher called, glancing around. Akashi perked up. So that boy was in his class? He didn't look that bright, but if he was in this class...

"Kuroko Tetsuya?" The teacher asked again, disapproval beginning to show on her face. "Tsk. Absent on the first day-"

"Ano, I am Kuroko Tetsuya." The teacher paused as a boy had all but materialized in front of her. "E...Eh?!" She shrieked, just as surprised as the rest of the class. "Since when were you-"

"Um, I was here since the first time you called my name. But I actually got lost and ended up coming late. I only just arrived as you were calling Koto Shiiro-san's name. I apologize for coming late and startling you." Kuroko said, bowing down in front of the flustered teacher. The woman cleared her throat. Well, the boy had nice manners, and his face wasn't bad either.

"Fine. I'll overlook it just this once."

"Hai, arigato, sensei. I will try. I am not good with directions."

"That's Okawa-sensei to you."

"Hai, Okawa-sensei."

"Now find an empty seat and do not cause any more trouble." Okawa-sensei instructed as she continued role call, walking down the aisle.

The whispers started as the blue-haired boy looked around for an empty seat, just quiet enough to escape their teacher's notice.

"He got lost? What in idiot. Should he really be in this class?"

"What's with his hair? It's blue and long. He looks like a wimp."

"Sucking up to the teacher on the first day?"

"Forget that! Did you see how he appeared out of nowhere? What a creepy guy. That's someone you wouldn't want to meet when you're walking along on the streets..."

Akashi frowned. This class was the highest of their grade, and this was an elite school so he had thought they would be more mature. Obviously not.

"Tetsuya, here," Akashi gestured as he removed his bag from the seat next to him. He had arrived early to make sure he had gotten a front seat and had proceeded to place his bag to prevent anyone from sitting next to him. His sharp gaze had scared off anyone who nervously approached, mostly girls. Blue eyes widened gratefully as he quickly sat in the seat.

"Arigato, Akashi-kun."

"No problem. I was wondering if you were going to get lost on your way to your first class. Seems I was right, although I didn't know we would be in the same class." Akashi said with an amused smile, causing the boy to stare indignantly at him.

"I didn't get lost on purpose, Akashi-kun. I was trying really hard to find this classroom. There were so many people in the hallways, and the next thing I knew, I was in a hallway full of third years."

"...The third years are on the third floor. First years are on the first floor."

"I know that now!" The boy said, embarrassed, cheeks flushing at the red-heads teasing. Akashi merely smirked.

"They know each other?"

"He's getting friendly with that creep..."

"Akashi-sama wouldn't even let us sit next to him, are they friends?" A girl this time. Kuroko's eyes fell. He looked back up with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry Akashi-kun. Nearly making you late and now ruining your reputation. I'll change seats right after this period."

"There's no need. I very much enjoy your company."

"If you're saying that because you still feel sorry for bumping into you..."

"Do you think I'm a lowly weak person who constantly does things for others to make up for his mistake?" Akashi demanded quietly. That shut the small boy up quickly.

"No, I didn't mean- I'm sorry, I'll stop talking." Kuroko said as he turned away from Akashi. Akashi's eyes danced with laughter. Yes, school would definitely be interesting.

* * *

"Tetsuya-" Akashi turned towards his seat partner as the lunch bell rang. The seat was empty.

"Hai, Akashi-kun?" Akashi nearly jumped. The boy was right next to his desk, having just stood up. Akashi calmed his racing heart, though his expression remained neutral.

"It's time for lunch, have you brought your own?"

"Um, no-"

"Then I'll escort you to the cafeteria. It's my treat today. This way I'll be able to fully repay you for knocking you down."

"You've done plenty for me, Akashi-kun. You've already helped me get to the opening ceremony, offered me you seat even if you didn't want anybody sitting there..."

"Nonsense. Any person with manners would have done the same. I helped you for my own reasons. By buying you lunch, I will be able to settle my debt." Kuroko opened his mouth to protest.

"Do you even know where or how to get to the cafeteria?"

"I'll find it eventually," the boy said stubbornly.

"When lunch period is over?" Akashi asked with a raised brow. "I wouldn't be surprised if you somehow ended up on the track field considering you couldn't even find this class. It's the closest classroom to the gym so you must have passed by it."

Kuroko opened his mouth again, then closed it. He stared at his shoes and mumbled.

"That was a low blow, Akashi-kun."

"Excellent. The cafeteria it is."

...

"Akashi-kun. Are you trying to kill me?"

"Is the food not to you liking? You need to eat vegetables as well to be healthy."

"But... there's too much. I won't be able to finish all of this."

"Tetsuya, this is a normal portion for the average junior high male."

"But-"

"Are you saying you're going to let the food I bought go to waste?"

"...No, Akashi-kun." Akashi nodded in satisfaction as he began eating his own share. One bite, and Akashi decided. The food wasn't bad (it was an elite school after all), but he very much preferred the food from home. The two were seated in a corner near the windows, alone at a table that could have fitter six or seven. Akashi stared at the boy in front of him as he took small bites of the food in front of him. He was different, that he was sure of. Not only that, not once, not twice, but three times he missed the boy. This was the first time he had seen someone with such lack of... presence. If felt like he was going to slip away if he did not keep one eye on him. Akashi was jerked out of his thoughts as the boy set down his chopsticks.

"I'm done." Akashi glanced at the boy's tray. It barely looked as if had been touched.

"Eat more."

"Akashi-kun, I'll die."

"From starvation, yes."

"I have a small appetite. This is the usual amount I eat."

"...I'm not sure if a normal person can even survive off of that. I suppose it explains why you're so thin and frail."

"..."

"Come on, eat. Are you really wasting food that I bought?" Akashi asked, emphasizing his own contribution to the lunch before the boy.

"I don't mean to waste it, but I really can't finish this..." Akashi gave him a smile that caused Kuroko to freeze. "...I will try my best."

"I hope you try your best too."

Kuroko managed to finish half of the food, which was a feat in and of itself.

"I am proud of you," Akashi said, patting the male on the back as they turned their trays in to the lunch lady.

"I think I'm going to puke. You're so cruel, Akashi-kun."

"Nonsense, you're going to need something besides bones if you want to join the basketball club." Kuroko's head jerked toward him in surprise.

"How did you...?"

"You dropped that letter when we first met. I saw a glimpse of a basketball in the corner. It seemed I assumed correctly."

"Do you think I'll get in?" Kuroko asked shyly.

"Everybody gets in regardless, but only first-stringers get to play real matches. I haven't seen you play so..." Akashi said, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings.

"I see..." Kuroko said, disappointed. "It seems I will have to work hard."

"Why the basketball club? No offense but you don't really seem the type for it."

"Type doesn't matter. All that matters is if you love basketball, doesn't it?" Kuroko said passionately, surprising Akashi at the change in the meek boy's attitude. "Besides, I promised a friend I would meet him again one day. In order to fulfill that promise, I..."

Akashi stared at the Kuroko's determined face. So many sides to a person...

"Then let's make first-string together."

"...Eh?"

"I also plan on joining the basketball club."

* * *

"First up is a placement test," a man in a brown suit with rectangular glasses said. "Only the first string gets to play in official games as part of the regular roster.

Whispers immediately spread through the large crowd of teens.

"I hear no one makes first string on these tests."

"Seriously? So second string at best? Then for this test our goal should be second string..."

Kuroko looked down. He had to make first string. Shigehiro...

"Yo, Tetsuya." Kuroko jumped as he whipped his head to meet Akashi's calm ruby gaze.

"Akashi-kun. Please don't scare me like that."

"Tetsuya, that's something I don't want to hear from you. Come on, let's go warm up together."

Kuroko happily followed the redhead as the huge group dispersed to warm up. Kuroko knew Akashi was dangerous, the boy was too observant, but Kuroko felt happy nonetheless.

"Tetsuya, what's with the bandages?" Akashi asked, gesturing to the white bandages that covered everything from Kuroko's wrist and all the way up his arm. On closer inspection, the bandages covered any part of the boy's visible legs.

"Um, it's for physical activity. I am clumsy so... It is better to protect myself before I get myself injured."

"How would you get seriously injured in an inside court? The floor is wood so it won't be as painful as asphalt."

"You'd be surprised." A new voice said, an elbow landing on the teal boy's head.

"Shu-shuzo-kun?" Kuroko said as he tried to turn up and look at the older boy.

"It's senpai," the older male chided.

"Nijimura-senpai," Akashi said respectfully. Then he added, "You know Tetsuya?"

"Oh sure I do. We meet up _all_ the time at the hospital. Enough to get acquainted. You wouldn't believe some of the reasons this klutz has. My favorite by far was the one-"

"Shuzo-k- senpai!" Kuroko said frantically as he swatted at the male. "Don't tell Akashi-kun ridiculous things!"

"But, but the one with the centipede," the 2nd year started, shoulders already shaking with laughter.

"No!" Kuroko yelled. "Doesn't Shuzo-senpai have better things to do than bully his juniors?!" Kuroko demanded.

"Ahaha, come on Tet-chan. When I saw your little blue head, I couldn't resist coming over." At the said blue heads glare, Nijimura sighed before ruffling the blue boy's head.

"Hai, hai. I'm leaving right now." The older boy disappeared with a wave. Strangely enough, the others didn't seemed to have noticed their interaction, though, Akashi thought, few people seemed to notice Tetsuya in the first place. They began stretching in silence before the temptation became too great for Akashi.

"So... the centipede..."

"I'll never talk to Akashi-kun again if he persists on finding out." Kuroko said. Akashi chuckled as the other boy pouted.

"Very well."

* * *

As expected of Kuroko's small build, his stamina was, well, below average.

"Kuroko, you need to move," Akashi said, already running his 15th lap around the gym. Kuroko waved the red-head as he panted.

"Do not let me hold you back, Akashi-kun. You have to do your best at tryouts. Akashi pursed his lips before nodding. He continued on his way as Kuroko stopped at the side trying to catch his breath. He glimpsed another male outside, standing anad staring at the gym. He had golden blonde hair, Kuroko realized through his exhausted haze. That was unusual for a Japanese person. Then again, he had blue hair, and Akashi-kun had...

...

"I'm announcing the test resuts," the same man from earlier announced.

"First, third string. Line-up in front of the third-string coach when your name is called. Number two, Saito Nobuo."

"Hai," a boy next to Kuroko said as he moved forwards.

"Number Four, Nakazawa Kazuhito."

"Hai."

"Number ten, Fujita Hiromichi."

"Hai."

"Number twelve, Takagiku Yuji." Kuroko closed his eyes. Praying he would at least make second string. Names continued to be called, and the numbers got closer and closer to Kuroko's.

"Number twenty-eight, Shimada Shunsuke."

"Hai."

"Number thirty, Tanaka Jun."

"Number thirty-one Kuroko Tetsuya... I need a word with you." People's eyes immediately looked for this trouble-maker while Kuroko ducked his head.

"What'd you do now?" Akashi teased quietly.

"Well-"

"Next, for second string." A bunch of other boys whose name hadn't been called silently cheered. Kuroko gave Akashi a small smile.

"I shall tell you later, Akashi-kun." Akashi nodded in reply as the coach began calling out names.

"Number fourteen, Kuroki Dai. Number thirty-five, Yagi Masao."

"Next, I am announcing the first string." Kuroko's head jerked up. There were people their year that had made first string? Wait, Akashi's name hadn't been called. There were similar reactions from the other boys.

"Did he just say first string?"

"He's kidding right?"

"Number eight, Aomine Daiki. Number eleven, Midorima Shintaro. Number twenty-three Murasakibara Atsushi. Number twenty-nine, Akashi Seijuurou... That is all. Everybody follow your respective coaches."

Akashi turned towards his companion, but the boy had disappeared.

* * *

"Do you know why you were called here?" The first string vice coach Sanada asked.

"Um, because I was horrible at basketball?" Kuroko asked weakly.

"Normally, even if you were bad, we would have placed you in third string. If you were a _boy_ that is."

"..."

"What were you thinking? This is a club for boys!"

"But, it was just called the basketball club, and I checked the rules and there are no rules that forbid a girl from playing..."

"That's still impossible. Even if you were allowed to join, your physical ability is way below average, therefore there is no reason to let you join. If you still want to join, it would be better if you applied for manager."

"But..." Kuroko clutched his arm. "I don't want to be manager. I want to play basketball. I... I really love basketball."

"Then play in your free time. A girl doesn't belong-"

"Now, now, Naoto. If what she says is true, it is not illegal for her to join. And besides, there are no rules against a girl joining the club. I can tell she genuinely likes the sport, so let her play." Kuroko's head turned toward an elderly man in the office.

"But Shirogane-sensei!" The man protested immediately.

"You shouldn't discriminate," the Shirogane scolded. "She may become an important keystone in the future." The older man made his way over, his kind gaze sweeping the girl. He gave her a smile.

"Kuroko Tetsuya, since I have allowed you to join, prove that you deserve to be in this club."

"Hai," Kuroko replied firmly, set on meeting the old man's expectations.

"That passion and stubborness... I know they will serve you well."

"Hai, arigato, Shirogane-sensei," Kuroko said as she bowed ninety degrees.

"Then run along to the third string gym then. I'll explain your circumstances to your coach later," Sanada said reluctantly.

"Yes sir," Kuroko made her way out of the office. Her hands trembled. She wasn't first string, but she could make her way up. No, she would make her way up. She supposed she was lucky the head coach even let her join. She would definitely show them.

* * *

"Shirogane-sensei? Why did you let her join?"

"Hm? Well, as she said, there is nothing stopping her from joining except you," here the younger man flushed. "And besides, did you see the look in her eyes. She genuinely loves basketball. I would daresay it's the most important thing in her life.

* * *

Third string practice was still hard. Kuroko glumly though as she walk out of the gym. A head of red caught her attention.

"Akashi-kun?" The boy, who had been waiting outside the third string gym while scanning the people who left, jumped.

"Oh, Tetsuya. Good, it seems you were here after all." Akashi said with a relieved sigh.

"Akashi-kun... why are you?"

"It's normal for friends to wait for each other, isn't it?" Akashi asked, raising an elegant brow.

"F... Friends?" Kuroko asked with wide eyes.

"Was I the only one who thought we were? How cruel of you, Tetsuya."

"That's not what I meant, Akashi-kun!"

"Then hand over your phone."

"I meant- Wait, what?"

"Phone," Akashi demanded, hand still outstretched. "You have one, don't you?"

"It's not a good one," Kuroko said as he handed over a gray flip phone.

"That is fine." Akashi said as he pulled out his own phone. He punched in his number on Kuroko's phone and soon, his own phone rang.

"Is this really okay, Akashi-kun? We've only known each other for one day."

"No matter. I feel being with you will be very entertaining. Also... it somehow feels..." Akashi paused, struggling to find words. "I feel comfortable around you. Being with you today, it felt like I was talking to an old friend again, if you get what I mean," Akashi finished awkwardly as he handed Kuroko back his phone after he saved his number. "Now I can find you even if you pull that disappearing act on me."

"It's not a disappearing act... People just tend to forget about me easily."

"But still, I have never met anyone who has such a low presence. It's simply fascinating."

"Fascinating... I cannot tell whether you are mocking me or not, Akashi-kun."

"No mocking," Akashi said as they walked down the empty path. Most of the students had already headed home and the sun was already setting. "I just find it pretty amazing."

"The one who is amazing is you, Akashi-kun. You managed to get on the first-string in your first year."

"And you're not jealous?" Akashi said as he watched the boy's facial expression. The boy's eyes glazed in contemplation.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't the tiniest bit jealous. However, I also knew I was lacking physically, so I didn't even imagine getting to first string the first time through. I have every intention of improving though. I made a promise to a friend."

"Is it the same friend who wrote that letter?"

"Hai. Right now, he's far away so... In order to see him again, I have to make it to first string so I can meet him at nationals. Akashi-kun, why are you laughing?" Kuroko asked, offended as the boy in question was chuckling.

"No, it's nothing. I just thought it's refreshing to meet guys like you."

"Like me..." Kuroko repeated, not getting what Akashi was going on about.

"That aside, why did Sanada-sensei want you?"

"Well, the obvious reason of course. A girl can't join a basketball team- Akashi-kun?" Kuroko said as she stopped and faced the boy who was frozen a couple feet behind, staring at her with wide eyes.

"You... you're a girl?!" Akashi said, voice cracking. Kuroko cocked his- _her_ head, Akashi corrected himself, in confusion.

"Of course I'm a girl."

"You're wearing the male uniform..."

"My name isn't very girly, and there was a mistake on the transcription. I ended up getting the male uniforms for the next three years. Since it's a hassle to take measurements again, I told the office and head I would simply wear the male uniform instead. Besides, the male uniform is more comfortable in the long run."

"But... you used 'boku'." (Boku is the term used for 'I' in Japan by males)

"I grew up with a lot of male influence and little female influence and it kind of became a habit."

"Wait, but if you go into the restrooms..." Akashi said, holding his head, trying to comprehend that his 'male' friend he had met was a 'female' friend.

"Nobody notices me anyway so there is no problem."

"..."

"If you need proof-"

"No!" Akashi said, flustered. He had never been thrown off like this for. He recounted the events for the day. He had knocked down a girl. He had asked a girl to sit next to him. He had bought a girl lunch. He had exchanged phone numbers with a girl. Considering how Akashi was raised, to be that forward with a girl after just meeting her... His father could never know about this.

"Is there something wrong, Akashi-kun?"

"Um- no. Well- Tetsuya, I'm sorry, Kuroko-san-" Akashi stopped as Kuroko's face became downcast.

"I'm sorry for having unintentionally fooled you. I just thought... I understand if you don't want to be friends, but I really don't want things to change. I like when Akashi-kun acted like himself better..."

"No, the mistake is mine, Tetsuya," Akashi smoothly recovered. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I would also like to keep things the same."

Kuroko brightened, a smile crossing her face.

"That's great!" She said, beaming. She skipped ahead, spinning around to face him. "I'm glad the misunderstanding was cleared up. Then, once again, Akashi-kun. I am Kuroko Tetsuya. I am a girl."

"Hello, Tetsuya, I am Akashi Seijuurou." Akashi said with a smile.

"But I have to admit," Kuroko said triumphantly. "Seeing Akashi-kun so flustered when he found out I was a girl..." Akashi felt himself blush at his friend's teasing. "It was all worth it. It's really nice not being the one teased for once." Before Akashi could warn her, Kuroko spun around starting to wave goodbye... and promptly ran straight into the brick post that marked the entrance to the school.

"...Pfft," Akashi covered his mouth as his amusement turned to full blown laughter. "Ahaha, Tetsuya, are you alright?" Akashi managed to ask as he steadied the stumbling girl. "Who even does that?"

"Akashi-kun!" Kuroko protested, rubbing her forehead. "You're so mean. Your friend just ran into a wall. Please show more empathy."

"No, but..." Akashi said, still laughing. "You were making fun of me but you totally ruined it by running into..." Akashi trailed off as he continued laughing much to Kuroko's irritation.

"It's not funny at all! Ugh, I can tell already. Akashi-kun, you're going to be worse than Shuzo-senpai."

"Oh, yes, Nijimaru-senpai. He's our vice-captain on the first string though only being a second year. I'll definitely have to get some stories out of him..." Akashi said as they stopped in front of the gates.

"You wouldn't! I really won't talk to you if you do!" Kuroko yelled as she stomped off towards the left.

"See you tomorrow, Tetsuya," Akashi called as he saw the girl vaguely wave at him. Akashi hummed as he turned towards the right where a car awaited him. He slid into the car and the chauffeur closed the door.

"You seemed to have had a nice day, Young Master," the older man said as he began driving.

"Well, I made a very interesting person so..." Akashi said with a mysterious grin. The older man raised a brow at this but did not question further. This 'person' must have been very special to put the young boy in such a good mood. Perhaps he would refrain from telling the boy that his father requested his presence until after they had arrived at the manor.

...

Kuroko stopped in front of the gate at her house nervously. It was moderate house of two stories for a middle class family. She nervously opened the gate, wincing at how it squeaked. It was late, and the sky was already dark. She quickly walked in and shut the gate. She discarded her blazer and white pants for an old sweater and jeans. It was better to be safe than sorry. She carefully tucked the items into her bag before making her way up the porch. It was night, so maybe...

She opened the door, but it was silent. She let out a sigh of relief closing the door. She turned and froze, ice settling in her gut. Her father was very much awake and at home. And he was waiting, a belt in his hand.

"C-chichue..." Kuroko stuttered.

"How dare you come in so late? Were you whoring around like your mother," the man said coldly, causing Kuroko to flinch. It must have been a bad day at the office, otherwise he would ignore her existence entirely.

"N-no. I joined a club..."

"What, basketball again? A pathetic _girl_ like you? I surprised they accepted you," the man said, eyes narrowing. "Or did you have to fuck your teachers to convince them to accept you?" Kuroko was visibly shaking at this point.

"N-no I," she let out a short shriek as the man she called Father grabbed her hair and dragged her into the living room.

"Ungrateful little brat, I'll remind you how a girl should act in this house."

...

Kuroko shuddered, wiping off the remaining traces of blood from her arms and legs. The man had started using the end with buckle a few years back and it showed. Kuroko quickly turned from the sink toward the toilet and vomited the contents of her stomach. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she mourned that she was wasting the lunch Akashi-kun had bought her. The more prominent part of her chided her for forcing herself to eat that much. It never turned out well. When she finished hacking out the contents of her stomach, she flushed the toilet and watched the disgusting mixture disappear down the drain, panting from exertion.

She straightened, wincing slightly from the area right below her rib cage where her father had kicked her. It was definitely going to bruise. She glanced at the shredded bandages around her arms and legs.

She was going to have to replace those too.

* * *

 **A/N: My first story for Kuroko no Basket! I had the sudden urge to rewatch the series, and the nostalgia... And I came up with this little idea and though it would fit Kuroko's odd quirks and behaviors. Although I'm not against the whole boy and boy things, I changed Kuroko to be female since that felt better for me.**

 **By the way, there's bound to be a few errors since I really wanted to get this out so don't worry, I'll fix them later. I know it's not an original concept, but I solemnly swear that I am not plagiarizing.**

 **Read and Review! :D Especially Review.**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


	2. Cancer and the All-knowing

_**IMPORTANT NOTE: MADE MINOR CHANGES TO FIRST CHAPTER**_

 **Chapter 2:**

Kuroko'e eyes opened slowly. Her body ached. She forced herself to move knowing the initial ache would lessen once she got used to it. She spared a glance at the clock on the night table and let out a relieved sigh. She had plenty of time to make it to school. Her father always disappeared to go to work in the mornings, so it was rare that she would bump into him in the mornings. She got ready in a numb stupor, only stopping when she noticed the envelope on the kitchen table.

Her allowance for the week. Kuroko reluctantly picked it up and tucked it in her bag. It was the same routine that had been going on for nearly seven years.

' _Father loves me, Father loves me, Father loves me_ ,' Kuroko chanted silently to herself to distract herself from negative thoughts. ' _Father loves me, that's why he hasn't abandoned me._ '

* * *

"Ohayo, Akashi-kun."

Akashi startled in his seat as he turned to face her, but quickly recovered.

"Ohayo, Tetsuya. I'm guessing you managed to find your way home and back to school."

"Hai, since I memorized the route to and from school. How about Akashi-kun?" Kuroko immediately knew it was the wrong question as Akashi's mood darkened.

"Getting home wasn't a problem. However, I had to sit and suffer while my father interrogated me on my first day in middle school." Kuroko was confused. Wasn't that a good thing?

"Is Akashi-kun not on good terms with his father?"

"Huh?" Akashi said, realizing what he had said. "Well, I guess we're not on the best terms. How about you?" Akashi asked, quickly directing the conversation towards Kuroko.

"Uh..." Kuroko was saved from replying as their teacher walked in. "Maybe later," Kuroko whispered, though she had no intention of ever bringing it back up. Akashi nodded as the class stood and bowed to the teacher as directed by Akashi, the elected student representative.

And so, the second day of lessons began.

...

"There's so much to sign," Kuroko said with a slight frown at lunch, sifting through the multiple papers in her hand. How was she going to ask her father to sign this?

"Can't be helped," Akashi said as he plucked a piece of chicken from his bento. He eyed the blue haired girl with suspicion. "Aren't you going to eat?" Akashi nearly sighed when the girl gestured to the fruit smoothie in her hand. "Tetsuya, you need eat something solid and more substantial. If you want to increase your physical abilities, smoothies aren't going to cut it."

"Fruit smoothies are very nutritious and are filled with plenty of vitamins and minerals," Kuroko said staunchly.

"I'm saying that's not going to cut it."

"This is enough to fill my stomach."

"I knew you were going to do this," Akashi said while Kuroko stared back at him impassively. "Which is why I asked the cook to pack extras."

"You did what?" Kuroko demanded as she began to inch away from the boy who had pulled out an extra pair of chopsticks as well as a disposable plate. "Akashi-kun, please, I am fine. This is highly unnecessary," Kuroko pleaded helplessly as Akashi began to split his lunch. Kuroko actually stood to attempt to make a run for it but Akashi's hand shot out to grab her wrist. Kuroko managed to fight back a flinch as the wounds around her wrist burned under the bandages.

"Tetsuya, you will sit down and eat."

"But-"

"No buts." Akashi said firmly as he guided the girl to sit down again. "Eat." Kuroko shifted uncomfortably as he slid the plate piled with food in fron of her.

"...I feel bad for taking Akashi-kun's lunch."

"I have plenty so there is no need to worry," Akashi said, lips curling in a satisfied smirk. Kuroko scowled before a brilliant idea popped into her head.

"I am a girl, Akashi-kun. We generally eat less to keep our figure-"

"You have no figure. You're almost just skin and bones. And don't pull that 'I am a girl' card on me. You managed to finish half of your lunch yesterday _as a girl_." Kuroko turned away from Akashi to hide her pout.

"Fine." Kuroko conceded, much to Akashi's pleasure. "If Akashi-kun insists, then I will."

"Good."

...

Midorima quietly browsed through the school library, enjoy the peace that did not seem to exist in the classrooms. He twitched as he suddenly heard a dull thud and a small cry of pain. Midorima sighed as he backtracked. He turned to the row where he was sure he had heard the noise. Midorima paused as the only thing in sight was book on the floor.

Midorima wasn't superstitious enough to believe in ghosts, but he couldn't help taking a quick glance around to see there was anyone else present. He even checked the two rows beside the one he was currently in to make sure somebody hadn't knocked over a book there. Uneasily, Midorima stepped forward to pick up the book and place it back on the shelf. His left hand gripped the mug tightly. Cancer's luck was third today, and he had his lucky item so nothing could possibly-

"Um, excuse me-" Midorima gave a small shriek as he jumped back and fell to the floor, grip loosening on both the mug and book. The book landed on the head of the boy who had materialized out of no where while the mug was unsteadily by the same boy. Midorima gaped at the boy who had a worried look on his face.

"Itai... Ah, I apologize for startling you. Are you alright?" Midorima said nothing as he scooted away before standing by himself.

"I'm fine," Midorima said shortly, then hastily added in irritation, "What do you think you're doing sneaking up on people like that?"

"I was here the whole time, before Midorima-kun got here. I didn't want Midorima-kun to put the book I finally got down back on the high shelf. It was not my intention to startle you."

"You were here the whole time?" Midorima asked in disbelief. "That's impossible, I checked and there was no one here. How do you even know my name?"

"You are one of the first years that managed to get into first string on their first try," Kuroko paused before adding in a deadpan, "We are also in the same class, Midorima-kun."

"You're in-? Wait," Midorima said as he struggled to remember. He could vaguely remember the commotion yesterday at the start of class. The more he thought about it, he realized that this was the boy that was late yesterday after he got lost. "You're practically nonexistent," Midorima blurted out, only realizing afterwards that it sounded terribly rude.

"Yes, I've been told so." Kuroko said with a sigh. She bent to scoop up the book then offered the green-headed boy the object in her hand. "Here, this is yours isn't it?" Midorima reclaimed the mug.

"Thanks..."

"It's Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Kuroko," Midorima said with a nod. He knew he had been extremely rude to the boy since they had began speaking. He felt obligated to re-compensate the boy somehow... "Do you need any help getting down any more books?"

"No thank you. I just needed this one book."

"...Nutrition and Diet?" Midorima said, reading the cover of the book the boy was clutching. "We have not yet started the health unit."

"It's for self-defense." Kuroko explained. "I need solid proof before I confront Akashi-kun..." Midorima did not follow. What did Akashi have to do with that? "Then if you'll excuse me," Kuroko said with a small bow before slipping around the taller boy.

"What's your sign?" Midorima demanded, causing Kuroko to freeze in her tracks.

"My sign?"

"You horoscope."

"Uh, I was born on the 31st of January-"

"An Aquarius," Midorima immediately said. He spun and walked away from a very confused Kuroko. "I will keep that in mind."

Kuroko watched the strange boy walk away. "I wonder why he was carrying around an empty cup..." Shrugging it off, Kuroko tucked the book under her arm and headed towards the check out desk. It was time to build her case against Akashi.

* * *

Basketball practice even in the third string was tiring and difficult to Kuroko. However, it frustrated her more than anything else when she saw the gap between her abilities and the others. She walked out of the gym, frustrated. She blinked as a familiar shade of red greeted her.

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko said with a hint of surprise.

"Tetsuya," Akashi greeted as he stepped forwards. They both walked at a leisurely pace towards the gates. "You look frustrated."

"It's nothing, it's just..." Kuroko let out a breath. "It's just vexing when I see how far I am away from my goal. I know getting on first string is not simple, but... I still want to join quickly." Akashi hummed at his friend's confession.

"I have no doubts you'll make it somehow." Akashi said. "You're very stubborn, so I am sure you will find a way." Kuroko glanced at Akashi before releasing a small laugh.

"If Akashi-kun says so, it seems I may not have to worry then."

"Of course not." They walked in silence for a while before Kuroko spoke up again.

"How was practice for you Akashi-kun?"

"It was nothing I couldn't handle. Nijimura-san said I might even be able to be a starter once he convinces Sanada-sensei."

"That is amazing, Akashi-kun." Kuroko said softly. Akashi smiled when he heard nothing but genuine admiration in the girl's tone. "Which also reminds me, I met Midorima-kun in the library."

"Oh?"

"I don't think I gave him a good first impression though," Kuroko admitted, biting her lip. "He seemed quite unnerved by my presence."

"Did you sneak up on him?"

"Akashi-kun," Kuroko protested with an offended look. "I don't sneak up on anybody. I was there the entire time. It was Midorima-kun that did not notice I was there."

"Well, I'm not sure if any normal person could notice your presence right off the bat."

"Maybe," Kuroko agreed. They walked in companionable silence until they arrived at the gate. "I'll see you tomorrow, Akashi-kun. Be careful on your way home."

"Have a good night, Tetsuya," Akashi responded. "Take care not to get lost."

If the comment had bothered Kuroko, Akashi was not able to tell as the girl had already started walking away without another word.

...

Three days later, Kuroko received a letter from Ogiwara. He had joined the club and was quickly rising through the ranks.

"You seem pleased with yourself," Akashi commented during break.

"Well, I received a letter from that old friend of mine." Kuroko said, her lips stuck in a small smile. "Shigehiro-kun joined the basketball team and is quickly make his way up, as expected of him." Kuroko's smile suddenly fell. "I need to work harder too if I want to meet Shigehiro-kun. He can't be the only one to try harder. I can't just sit back like this when Shigehiro-kun's already putting his all into it."

"So, what do you plan on doing?" Akashi asked, amused. Kuroko pursed her lips.

"I'll ask the third-string coach if I can borrow the gym after club hours so I can practice more, for now."

"That saves me the trouble then. I'll also be staying after school from now on to work on student council work so we can still walk together."

"It does work out," Kuroko agreed, already used to the red-head's company.

"Kuroko." Akashi and Kuroko turned to Midorima who towered over them, a beret in his hand. Kuroko cocked her head in question as the male began rummaging in his pocket before offering a small teddybear. Kuroko took it, confused. "It's a stuffed bear. It's the lucky item for Aquarius today."

"Arigato," Kuroko said a bit uncertainly, placing it on her desk. Midorima nodded in acknowledgement before turning to Akashi in greeting.

"Akashi." Midorima greeted.

"Midorima. It seems we are all acquainted each other."

"To an extent," Kuroko said. "My only prior meeting with Midorima-kun was just short of disastrous."

"I apologize for my behavior then," Midorima interrupted. "I was at just as much fault then."

"Maybe we should attach a bell on you," Akashi mused, garnering a slightly horrified look from Kuroko's usually calm face.

"I am not some cat or dog. If anything, a bell would startle people more as they are unaware of where the sound is coming from."

"That's..." Midorima started, "kind of depressing."

"I have gotten used to it. But a bell won't work, Akashi-kun."

"Maybe a leash..."

"Akashi-kun. I am not an animal," Kuroko deadpanned. "Moreover, from what I've observed, why am I the only one you call by my first name?"

"Are we not friends?" Akashi asked, though he himself wasn't sure. It had felt natural, a spur of the moment sort of thing.

"Of course we are," Kuroko said, squirming slightly under Akashi's gaze. "But if it's only you... Then, uh... Sei... Seijūrō... -kun?"

"I am fine with Akashi-kun. Don't force yourself."

"How long have you two known each other?" Midorima asked, glancing curiously between them.

"Hm? Us two? We actually met a few days ago, on the first day of middle school." Akashi replied.

"Only a couple of days?" Midorima said with raised brows.

"I am just as surprised as you, Midorima-kun. However, Akashi... Seijūrō-kun is quite easy to get along with. I would say most of this is due in part to Seijūrō-kun's efforts."

Midorima opened his mouth to comment but was cut off by their homeroom teacher who stood in the doorway.

"Kuroko Tetsuya? I need a word with you in the faculty office." Akashi gave Kuroko a questioning stare. Kuroko herself didn't seem to surprised so he concluded it mustn't be something bad.

"Then Seijūrō-kun, Midorima-kun. You should begin heading to the gym."

"Ah, practice starts in a few minutes, doesn't it..." Akashi glanced at the girl. "Will you be fine?"

"Yes, I think I know the reason the teacher wants to see me. I will still go to practice afterwards. I'll see you after...?"

"I will meet up with you outside the thirds-string gym. There is no point to you getting lost while searching for the student council room."

"Seijūrō-kun, that was uncalled for. It is not nice to mock someone else's faults."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Kuroko Tetsuya?! Where are-"

"Hai, I'm right here, Sensei."

"E...-Eeek! When did you-"

* * *

Kuroko bounced the ball in the empty gym. The third-string coach had not minded her staying after as long as she finished before school curfew and returned the keys back to the faculty office. Kuroko attempted a shot, and sighed as it bounced off the rim. She ran over to pick up the ball, before staring at it contemplatively.

'If I can't make it now, I'll do a hundred more shots tomorrow. If I can't do a hundred shots then, then I'll do two hundred the next day,' Kuroko thought determinedly. 'Hard work and effort never go to waste.'

...

"Well, how was it?" Akashi prompted as he and Kuroko walked towards the office.

"No good. I'm starting to think it might be a genetic problem..." Kuroko said with a small groan. "But, people who are unable to physically communicate are still able to talk to those around them. Maybe my approach is wrong..." Akashi watched as the girl mused over it.

"Tetsuya, you're really strange, you know that?"

"Hm? Sorry, Seijūrō-kun. I was not paying attention."

"Nevermind, it was nothing." Akashi said. He was surprised when he turned to see Kuroko giving him a flat look.

"Seijūrō-kun. You can't say something then say it was nothing. Now I really want to know."

"Then, what did Okawa-sensei want with you?"

"Ah, you see, I haven't returned in my forms yet."

"Still?"

"Hai... I haven't found the right time to approach Chichiue... since he's so busy. I'll get them signed by the end of the weekend though." Akashi hummed in acknowledgement. Kuroko took a look at the dark night sky and seemed to realize something. Akashi paused mid-stride as Kuroko stopped to pull out her phone. "It's nearly nine..."

"Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just that I've never been out this late before. This is a first."

"I can walk you home if you'd like."

"No! It's... Akashi-kun has done so many things for me, I don't want to burden him more-"

"I assure you Tetsuya, it is fine." Akashi said with a slight frown. Kuroko had reverted back to calling him by his last name.

"No, Akashi-kun, please. I won't feel comfortable then. After all you do, at least let me have this." Kuroko said with determination. Akashi held her stubborn gaze and sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win this one.

"Fine. Do as you please. But I don't approve of a girl walking home by herself. It's not safe," Akashi scolded. Kuroko stared blankly at him.

"Nobody ever notices me so it's never problem." Akashi almost slapped his forehead.

"Right. I forgot, you're practically invisible. I guess there are advantages to your predicament."

"Hai. Anyhow, I need to get home quick. I will see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, since practice is also held over the weekends as well." They both stopped at the entrance.

"Then, Ja ne, Seijūrō-kun."

"See you soon, Tetsuya."

...

Akashi waited and waited outside the third-string gym. Akashi frowned as there was no obvious sign of the girl coming out. He grabbed a boy coming out of the gym, another first-year, by the arm as he came out.

"Excuse me, was Kuroko Tetsuya here today?"

"Kuro... who? Sorry, I'm not sure if there was someone like that in the third-string." Akashi thanked the male and apologized for the disturbance. He stopped another boy that had just exited.

"I'm sorry, was Kuroko Tetsuya here today?"

"Huh? Oh um... I'm not sure," Akashi pursed his lips, disappointed. "Oh! I think coach coach mentioned that name during roll call. I don't think he's here."

Akashi nodded and thanked the boy, pulling out his phone. He sent a quick text to missing girl while making his way back towards the first string gym.

.=============.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Tetsuya_

 _You don't seem to have come today. Is everything alright?_

.=============.

Akashi entered the building.

"Oi, Akashi! Do a one-on-one with me! First to five points," Aomine called with a bright grin. Aomine had quickly found out that Akashi, while not the tallest, was a level above their seniors. He had yet to see the boy lose yet in any sort of challenge.

"Ask Midorima," Akashi said distractedly as he picked up his bag.

"Hah?! That megane? I doubt he'd say yes."

"Correct. That is because, I have already changed. It would hardly be proper to get sweat on my clean clothes." Midorima said as he walked towards them, a DVD case clutched in his right hand.

"It doesn't really matter, does it? It's not even your school uniform, why not play a small game?" Aomine asked, tucking the basketball against his arm. "Don't tell me... You're scared you'll lose?"

"I am scared of no such thing. And don't expect me to fall for your childish provocations." Midorima said, adjusting his glasses.

"Tch, stingy bastard aren't ya? Oi, Nijumura-senpai! Let's do a one-on-one!" Aomine said, dashing over to their senior who had just left the locker room.

"Hah? Why the hell should I?"

Akashi pulled out his phone immediately when he felt it buzz.

.=============.

 _From: Tetsuya_

 _To: Me_

 _Gomen, Seijūrō-kun. I should have alerted you ahead of time. I left for groceries this morning and... took a wrong turn at some point. I just managed to get back to my neighborhood. I apologize once more for not alerting you ahead of time._

.=============.

"What is it, Akashi?" Midorima asked.

"It seems Tetsuya got lost to and from the grocery store, although it doesn't seem to be a problem at this point." Midorima only nodded.

"Oha-asa said Aquarius was second to last place today. He should have gotten his lucky item. By the way, Aquarius' lucky item today was a green t-shirt."

"I see..." Akashi said, somewhat adjusted to Midorima's unusual obsession with Oha-asa. It also seemed that Midorima was quite oblivious to the fact Kuroko was a girl. It wasn't his job to say so, though. Akashi would very much enjoy Midorima's reaction when he did find out though.

.=============.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Tetsuya_

 _If you got lost, just say it. How can you not know the route from the grocery store to you house, though? If you're lost you should ask someone for directions. Actually, never mind. That's not the best idea. Carry around a map._

.=============.

 _From: Tetsuya_

 _To: Me_

 _I will try to keep that in mind then. I'll make up for the practice I missed over the rest of the weekend._

.=============.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Tetsuya_

 _Do your best. They announced that tests to move up a string is coming up in a week or so._

.=============.

 _From: Tetsuya_

 _To: Me_

 _Thank you for the early notice, Seijūrō-kun. I will try my hardest._

.=============.

Akashi shut his phone close, with a subtle smile.

"Well, it seems I will retire for the day."

"I am ready to leave as well," Midorima said, eyeing Aomine who was pestering an irritated Nijumura. The green-haired boy flinched when the 2nd year spotted him.

"Oi, Midorima! Take on this idiot Aomine here! Vice-captain's orders!"

"Ugh... Don't... want to..." Midorima mumbled, very ready to go home and study.

"What was that?" Nijimura demanded. "Did I hear you want extra footwork practice from now on?"

"...No sir." Midorima said with a sigh, dropping his bag and making his way over. "I'll get right to it." Midorima glanced to his side only to find Akashi missing. Damn the red head. He had undoubtedly left the moment he realized what Nijimura was going to do.

Aomine bounced over to him, already dribbling the ball in excitement. Midorima glared at the tanned boy, and as soon as their seniors were out of earshot, he venomously hissed at the boy.

"One game, and that's all. The next time you pull something like this off, I'll curse you so that you may never live peacefully." Aomine froze. Aomine, who was secretly terrified of ghosts, trembled at the image of bloody, female ghost permanently attached to his shoulder. He had no doubts in his mind it was something the superstitious green-head could do.

Midorima was quick to sink in two three-pointers before immediately leaving, a dark cloud hanging over his head.

Aomine stayed in the same position he had been standing. He had hardly been able to play for the fear of Midorima cursing him on a whim.

Aomine never saw Midorima the same way after that.

* * *

"I feel bad for lying... But at least he bought it," Kuroko said, staring at the last reply Akashi had sent. "Itai..." She hissed as she dabbed cotton ball on the wound she should have treated yesterday. Perhaps asking if he could sign some school forms yesterday hadn't been the greatest idea.

"Ah... This might actually scar," Kuroko said to herself as she observed a cut slightly deeper than the many scratches and bruises that littered her arms. She finished wrapping her arms and sat back against the toilet seat with a loud sigh. She really... really had wanted to go to basketball practice today. She closed her eyes. It would be lunch time soon. She had to get up and make lunch. Kuroko opened her eyes again, staring at the blank ceiling.

' _What did you expect? An angel offering a hand out of this pain an misery?_ ' Kuroko thought to herself as she stood up, gritting her teeth through the pain. ' _No, no. Don't think like that. This is my punishment._ '

Kuroko gingerly made her way downstairs and to the kitchen. A glance into the refrigerator told her that she one, actually needed to go to the grocery store, and two, that she could still put together a sandwich.

Kuroko quickly and silently put together two sandwiches and but each one diagonally. She arranged them on a plate and set them down on the kitchen table along with a glass of the remaining apple juice. She set them down just as she heard her father making her way downstairs. She nervously stepped away as the man entered within her vision.

Black hair was spiked from a horrible case of bed hair and tired, black, soulless eyes stared in her direction. Kuroko averted her eyes. She may have been invisible to the rest of the world, but none of it seemed to work around her father.

The man in question was actually quite handsome and young looking. He was pale, a stark contrast against his inky black hair and eyes. There was some stubble dotting his chin. The man silently sat down at the table, not even acknowledging Kuroko besides the initial glance he had given her. Kuroko waited silently as the man started eating.

"Chichiue..." Kuroko started hesitantly. "Ano..."

The man showed no indication of having heard her. It was a stark contrast to when he punished her.

"Yesterday... Um... The school requires for a parent or guardian to sign some forms..." Kuroko stuttered. Kuroko Munashi paused between bites and slowly turned towards the small, fidgeting girl. Kuroko flinched at the absolute look of revulsion and contempt on the man's face.

"Apparently, I have not been clear enough with you. You are no child of mine."

"..."

"It disgusts me that such a creature is still calling me father."

"...But..."

"Be silent." Kuroko shut her mouth as the man finished his lunch and slowly stood.

"...Drop the forms off in my office later. I'd rather you go to school than see your face here at home all the time."

"...Hai. A-ari-"

"You are dismissed if you have nothing more to say."

"..." Kuroko hung her head and quickly made her way back to her room. She collapsed on her bed. At the very least, her father had not completely rejected signing the forms. Kuroko closed her eyes to hold back the faint sting she felt in her eyes. No, she wouldn't cry now. She hadn't cried for years, and she wasn't going to start again now. Father lover her. Mother had said so. "Homework," she softly said to herself. "Work on homework, go get groceries, make dinner, go to sleep, and endure another day. Come on, Tetsuya. It's not all bad. Come Monday, you'll get to see Seijūrō-kun and play basketball. Practice hard and you'll move up. Get to first string, then you'll even get to see Shigehiro-kun again. Endure."

A small stuffed bear was the only witness to the girl's pep talk.

* * *

"Tetsuya, what is that?"

"It is a bento."

"That portion size is too small still," Akashi scolded as he began dumping some of his side dishes onto Kuroko's simple lunch of rice and egg.

"Actually, it contains about 800 calories. An active female should consume between 2,200 to 2,400 calories a day, so this serving size should not be unreasonable."

"..."

"..."

"Tetsuya... just... _eat_."

"...Hai."

* * *

"Oh, you made that a plus sign instead of a minus sign there. The polynomial should work then."

"Arigato Seijūrō-kun, I'm glad you're my seat partner or else I might have missed it," Kuroko said with a sigh as she quickly fixed the problem before sitting back with a sigh. Everybody in the room was scattered and grouped together with their friends in order to solve the 3-page worksheet before the end of class.

"That was still excellent considering you only made one small careless mistake. The others seem to be having trouble."

"This is nothing compared to you. You got it all right on the first try..."

"It is a subject I am familiar with."

"...I just realized."

"?"

"Seijūrō-kun is one of those know-it-alls, isn't he?" Kuroko asked solemnly. Akashi nearly snorted.

"I'd ask you not to degrade me to a status such as 'know-it-all'. I prefer all-knowing." Kuroko's stared at the boy in disbelief, her mouth opened in an small 'o' shape. She regained herself, her face falling to her more usual apathetic face, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"That's beyond arrogance, Seijūrō-kun. You might have a god-complex."

"Are you two in arguing or are you joking around?" Midorima suddenly interrupted, causing the two to turn to the boy standing irritably besides their desk. He was clutching a tote bag in his right hand.

"Joking around?" Kuroko asked confused. "I am not too good at jokes..."

"It's just a bit of banter, Midorima, since we've finished our work ahead of time. Is there something you needed?"

"Yes, in fact. May I compare my answers to yours? My seatmate is... not exactly the most reliable source, and I would like to ensure I have perfect score, nanodayo."

"Unreliable, or lack of communication skills on you part?" Akashi teased with a small playful smirk. Midorima didn't quite catch on that he was being teased and stiffened.

"That's not nice, Seijūrō-kun." Kuroko reprimanded, poking Akashi's cheek with the end of her pencil. She turned to the tall boy who looked as if was ready to leave. "Midorima-kun is welcome to join us. It would be good to compare with a third party in case there is something we both missed." Midorima paused, before nodding, accepting her invitation. Kuroko immediately stood up and offered Midorima her seat. "Midorima-kun can sit here. I need to make a quick trip to the restroom anyways. Please turn in my worksheet along with everyone else's if I am not back on time." With that, Kuroko quickly disappeared. Akashi raised a brow while Midorima shifted uncomfortably.

"It is as Tetsuya said. Go ahead and sit down. It doesn't hurt to check with a fellow classmate on my part as well," Akashi said with a gentle smile. Midorima nodded in thanks. As he sat down, they both heard a high-pitched shriek from front of the classroom, courtesy of Kuroko.

Both hid a smile, somewhat familiar with the routine, though, both had not known that their math teacher's voice could reach that high of an octave. Considering he was a middle-aged man.

...

"Seijūrō-kun, _no_."

Midorima watched the exchange with wide eyes.

" _Tetsuya_. The less you resist, the quicker it will be over."

"M-midorima-kun... Please..." Midorima quickly turned away as the boy turned his pleading eyes toward him.

"You have no other option. Open your mouth."

"Seijūrō-kun, I really dislike eating so much!" Kuroko very nearly wailed, trying to escape Akashi's grip on her wrist as gently as she could to not aggravate the wounds.

"You are not eating enough."

"I've been eating that same portion for as long as I can remember. There is no need to change it now."

"On the contrary, you have to adjust your portion sizes as you grow in order to support your growing body. That's why you barely have enough muscles and you're so small."

"..." Kuroko stopped struggling and turned to Akashi with a petulant look to her face. "...Seijūrō-kun is small as well."

Akashi also froze, eyes narrowing. Midorima's eyes furtively glanced back and forth between the two. Height was evidently a sensitive topic for them both, something Midorima filed away for later.

"You _will_ eat the normal serving size for a normal middle school student."

"I will do no such thing. I'll puke."

"Uh, if I may," Midorima said calmly, gaining both of their attentions. "If a person is used to smaller servings, then it is better to increase the amount they eat slowly over time. I know, in fact, because my father is a doctor, nanodayo."

Kuroko gazed at Midorima in awe, as if he were a god. This was the first time Midorima had joined them for lunch, and she was very glad he did. Akashi, refusing to back down, calmly interjected Kuroko's moment of bliss.

"Then we will work to slowly increase Tetsuya's serving size."

Kuroko whimpered.

* * *

"Akashi-kun, Midorima-kun, and Kuroko-kun, may I have a word with you three?" Okawa-sensei called during break. The hreeo teens stood and headed towards the doorway where she was waiting. "Ah, Akashi-kun. And Kuroko-kun is..."

"Here, Sensei." Okawa-sensei let out a short yelp before she quickly calmed herself.

"Kuroko-kun, I told you... never mind. Anyhow, you three. I have a request for you all. As you know, our school focuses on the academics as well as extracurricular activities. There are some students in the lower classes that need assistance, and as the top students in this current grade level, I was wondering if you could tutor a few."

"I would be willing-" Akashi started but was quickly stopped.

"Absolutely not, Seijūrō-kun. You already have student council duties, and both you and Midorima-kun are on the first string for basketball. Coach would be furious if you skipped." Kuroko said firmly. Akashi seemed busy enough as it was. "I will take responsibility for tutoring."

"You have basketball practice as well, Tetsuya."

"I can stay later to make up for it. But Midorima-kun and Seijūrō-kun are of more importance to the team. Besides, I have library club as well so it would be no trouble."

"Then I, at least, will graciously accept your offer," Midorima said, a hint of appreciation in his voice. It wasn't like he was totally unavailable, but he did not have the patience to teach some delinquent or idiot.

"...Very well. I will pass up this time then," Akashi reluctantly agreed.

"Then I appreciate you giving up your time, Kuroko-kun," Okawa-sensei said with a thankful smile. "I know it's on short notice, but would you mind starting today?"

"Hai, it would be no trouble."

"Then please head to the library after class. The two students you will be in charge of are Murasakibara Atsushi and Haizaki Shougo."

* * *

 **A/N: Here's the second chapter! Sorry if it was a bit high-paced but writing about 'every single day at freaking day they are in middle school is just... no. I went back to the first chapter as well to fix minor errors and some discrepancies. One, I changed it so that Kuroko's father was NOT drinking. It just doesn't seem to fit with the character I set up for the second chapter. As a note, I'd like to say that I'm trying to bring in all of the Kiseki before she joins the first string since I think the bonds that are developed before are important, especially since I want them all to be closer friends then just teammates.**

 **And thank you so much Hikariki-chan for that heartfelt review, I really appreciated that you liked it and that you _actually read the_ _author's note_ (no one usually reads it ;-;).**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


	3. The Child and the Delinquent

**_Apologies if the story seems to jump about._**

 ** _Recap:_**

 _"Then I appreciate you giving up your time, Kuroko-kun," Okawa-sensei said with a thankful smile. "I know it's on short notice, but would you mind starting today?"_

 _"Hai, it would be no trouble."_

 _"Then please head to the library after class. The two students you will be in charge of are Murasakibara Atsushi and Haizaki Shougo."_

 **Chapter 3:**

Okawa-sensei left with a little wave after handing Kuroko a list of the topics she would need to cover.

"Haizaki?!" Midorima asked, now that the teacher was gone, his voice escalating towards the end. Akashi did not look pleased either.

"Is there a problem?" Kuroko asked, tiliting her head in confusion at their reaction.

"Kuroko, Haizaki is an arrogant brute, I doubt you will be able to get him under your control. You'd have a higher chance of convincing Murasakibara to work than getting Haizaki to stay on task for even five minutes," Midorima fretted. Kuroko was small and did not have much presence. There was no way Haizaki would listen to a boy like him. In fact, he feared the boy would get pummeled by the taller boy.

"I agree with Midorima." Akashi said firmly. "I will take care of the extra lessons," Akashi said as he made an attempt to steal the sheet of paper from her hands.

"There is no need for that, Seijūrō-kun," Kuroko said as she dodged Akashi's hand. "I am sure I can handle this."

"You clearly have not met Haizaki before," Akashi said with a scowl.

"But I will, and I will make my own opinion of him after I have met him myself."

"Kuroko, he is dangerous," Midorima warned.

"I will see for myself. Besides, I am also in charge of Murasakibara-kun, so it is not like I am going to be alone with Haizaki-kun."

"Ah, there is that..." Akashi mused, calming down slightly. He suddenly smirked as an idea came to him. He stepped into the classroom without the two's notice.

"Then it's settled," Kuroko said in a no nonsense tone.

"I still don't think this will be safe," Midorima said, uneasily. Kuroko turned to stare at the the boy, causing Midorima to shift uneasily.

"What, nanodayo?"

"Midorima-kun is actually quite caring about his friends, isn't he? Although it's hard to tell since Midorima-kun hides it," Kuroko commented. Midorima spluttered, face turning red.

"What? Who said we were- I do not care-!" Midorima stuttered as he tried to find the right words.

"Here, Tetsuya," Akashi said as he reappeared.

"What is this?" Kuroko asked as he inspected the piece of paper folded into a square.

"Insurance."

"Insurance?"

"I am sure Haizaki would be more... inclined to listen if you were to give him this."

"Will it be necessary?" Kuroko said uncertainly as Akashi plucked the paper from her hand and tucked it into her pocket.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Keep it even if you don't think you'll need it."

"If Seijūrō-kun says so." Kuroko acquiesced. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get things ready for the lesson, Midorima-kun, Seijūrō-kun."

* * *

"Che, this is stupid."

"Eh? Isn't Zaki-chin also stupid if he's here."

"Shut up, Atushi." Haizaki snarled. "You're here too aren't you?"

"I don't really care," Murasakibara said between bites. "As long as they don't take away my snacks~"

"Please don't eat food in the library. It will attract roaches."

"But I'm hungry- eh?" Murasakibara said, confused as he looked around for the owner of the new voice. The two boys froze as they saw no one.

"I'm right here." Their eyes finally landed on a small boy with light features. The boy bowed, causing his long bangs to curtain his face. "Domo."

Haizaki let out a shriek and a stream of curses as he jumped out of his chair, causing it to fallback. As Haizaki stepped back, he tripped over his chair and fell in a heap.

Murasakibara's eyes only widened as he crushed the bag of chips in his hand in surprise.

"Ah, Haizaki-kun and Murasakibara-kun, right? I apologize for startling you but please keep your voices down. This is a library," Kuroko said, putting a finger to her lips.

"Uah~ Where'd you come from? I didn't sense you at all. Are you a ghost?"

"No, I am a human like you."

"Who the fuck are you?! When did you even get there" Haizaki seethed as he scrambled up, face red from his embarrassing fall.

"I was waiting for you to notice me for five minutes. I am your tutor Kuroko Tetsuya from class 1–A. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." Haizaki and Murasakibara gaped.

"…He looks like a wimp," Haizaki said with a slight sneer.

"He's so small, I feel like I could crush him~" Murasakibara said as he started on the remains of his crushed chips.

"I'm leaving," Haizaki said as he started walking away. Kuroko frowned.

"I can't condone such actions. Haizaki-kun is here because he needs help with his studies and I am here to help you. It is not good to skip out."

"Hah? Do you think I care about my grades?"

"No." Kuroko said bluntly.

"Huh?" Haizaki said, confused by the boy's reply.

"Now please sit down so we can start. Haizaki-kun is doing exceptionally bad in history. It is monumental in and of itself how bad your grade it is. Considering that most tests and assignments are given in a multiple choice format, given that even if one did not know the course material, they should statistically at least get a twenty-five. However, Haizaki-kun, your history grades are in the single digits."

"Oi," Haizaki growled, annoyed. "You trying to say something? I already I don't give a shit about my grades."

"So you said. However, if Haizaki-kun does not do well, he might be restricted from club activities."

"Who cares? Basketball takes up way too much time anyway."

"Haizaki-kun is in the basketball club?" Kuroko said, intrigued. She would have though she would have remembered a boy with such features as him.

"First string even as a first year," Haizaki stated with a smirk. "All the senpai suck in comparison."

"I did not see Haizaki-kun at the tryouts," Kuroko said with a light frown.

"I signed up late but they let me join since I was so good," Haizaki boasted.

"Haizaki-kun is quite arrogant," Kuroko commented bluntly, garnering a snicker from the tall giant.

"Huh? What's that, shorty?" Haizaki said as he gripped her collar. "A girly boy like you acting as if you're above me, I bet you're in third string, aren't ya?" Kuroko felt a twitch of annoyance. She wasn't _that_ short, she thought irritably, completely missing the 'girly boy' comment.

"Of course I am in third string. I told you I am not very good. And please let go of my uniform. Violence is bad."

"You want to fight?" Haizaki asked, pissed. The boy's rather placid face made it hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic or not.

"No. I'd 100% get beaten up by Haizaki-kun."

"Are you joking around with me?"

"No, I am not good with jokes. Please let go."

"Just let it go already, Zaki-chin~" Murasakibara commented. "If we don't study, the captain and Aka-chin will be mad."

"Tch. Like I care what Nijimura or that midget thinks," Haizaki said even as he let go of her collar and grudgingly sat in the chair he had picked back up.

"Thank you, Murasakibara-kun. I'd like for this to work out. I'm afraid that Seijūrō-kun insists on taking over these sessions in my stead if I cannot handle it."

Haizaki stiffened at this. Shit.

"On that note, Seijūrō-kun did ask me to give you this if you were uncooperative," Kuroko said as he offered Haizaki the slip of paper Akashi had given her earlier.

"Hah? Akashi?" Haizaki as he snatched the note from her hand. His eyes scanned the scrap of paper. The other two watched as the boy seemed to pale before he slammed the paper down on the desk.

"Damn Akashi," Haizaki hissed.

"Please refrain from badmouthing Seijūrō-kun. If everybody has anymore complaints, say them now so we can start the lesson."

"..."

"Can I finish my snack?" Murasakibara asked in his childish tone. Kuroko sighed.

"If you must. However, do try not to drop any crumbs."

"Okay~"

X

To the two taller boy's surprise, Kuroko turned out to be a rather good and patient teacher despite his stature. He neither gawked at them, trembled before them, or blew up in a fit of rage. It was a rather pleasant contrast to their regular teachers.

"Haizaki-kun, Japan drew influence from China, not Korea." Kuroko said softly as she overlooked the worksheet Haizaki had been doing.

"But Korea is closer."

"If Haizaki-kun was hit behind the head with a rock, and behind him was a large thug and a skinny boy, who do you think threw the rock."

"The bastard thug, I suppose."

"Correct. China, with it's large empire, exerted a considerably larger amount of influence to its surrounding countries than Korea. And Haizaki-kun, language."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Sora-san~ Help me with math," Murasakibara whined.

"Sora?"

"Mm. Your hair is as blue as the sky. Not black at all..."

"...Please call me by my given name, and what do you need, Murasakibara-kun?"

"How do you find x and y?"

"You have to use the system of equations..."

"Eh? Not sure what that is..."

"Well, first, Murasakibara-kun, you need to isolate one of the-"

The bell cut off her off, and Haizaki whooped. He all but flung his stuff into his bag, leaving with a shout of 'Later, assholes'.

Kuroko twitched slightly.

"Sora-san, can I go?"

"Kuroko, Murasakibara-kun. And I suppose so. I won't keep you longer than necessary."

"Alright. Bye-bye Sora-san."

"It's Kuroko. Have a nice day, Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko said as the giant ambled out. Once the boy was gone, Kuroko let out a sigh. Teaching the two was exhausting mentally. She was glad she had taken it up instead of Seijūrō-kun. She began clearing the desk when she heard the sound of the door opening.

She glanced up to see a tall boy step into the library, eyes scanning the area. The boy seemed relieved it was empty and collapsed into the chair, previously occupied by Haizaki, with a heavy sigh. Kuroko cocked her head. The boy looked... bored. Miserable even. She quietly put all the books back onto their shelves and left the library without disturbing the boy. He looked like he needed space.

X

The blonde boy leaned back against the chair with his forearm covering his head. He stared hazily at the ceiling of the library. Distantly, he heard it. The sound of the wind blowing.

"Isn't there anything that can interest me?" Kise said to nobody.

* * *

"How was it?" Akashi questioned almost immediately as he met her outside the third string gym.

"It could have gone worse, I suppose," Kuroko said. "Though Haizaki-kun might hold a grudge."

"Haizaki, why?" Akashi demanded.

"My appearance startled him. Haizaki-kun screamed and tripped over his own chair," Kuroko stated flatly. Akashi froze.

"Pfft..." Akashi turned away, covering his mouth to hide a chuckle. "That would have been a sight to see. As I thought, things are interesting with Tetsuya around."

"Seijūrō-kun, don't laugh."

"But to think Haizaki, _Haizaki_ screamed like a little girl," Akashi snickered.

"Seijūrō-kun is childish," Kuroko said.

"I am no such thing. I am sure anyone would have found the situation humorous." Akashi said with smirk.

"It was not very funny to me. Please put yourself in the shoes of somebody who is constantly overlooked," Kuroko said petulantly.

"Sorry, sorry, Tetsuya. It's just... Haizaki," Akashi's lips twitched.

"I still do not find it funny."

"It just doesn't suit his character."

"If Seijūrō-kun insists."

"I'm serious. Tell Midorima tomorrow then. I guarantee even he will crack a smile."

"There is no way Midorima-kun will find this funny."

X

Midorima's face was hidden, as he sat hunched over the desk. However, his shoulders were visibly trembling.

"Haizaki?" They heard Midorima choke out.

"Like a girl," Akashi affirmed with a smug smile. If possible, Midorima shook even more violently, and they could hear light gasps coming from him. Kuroko looked insulted.

"It's not that funny," she protested weakly.

"It is too," Akashi retorted.

"It is not- Midorima-kun stop laughing!"

"Not... laughing..." Midorima's muffled voice said.

"Midorima-kun!"

* * *

"Where is Haizaki-kun?" Kuroko questioned as she sat in front of Murasakibara for their second session.

"Who knows. Zaki-chin is probably out with a girl or something." Kuroko frowned at this.

"It is not good to skip... I suppose we should start without Haizaki-kun."

"Okay Sora-san~"

"It's Kuroko. Is there anything you have questions on, Murasakibara-kun?"

"Mm... Does Sora-san like chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla?" Kuroko nearly face-planted at the boy's insistence to call her 'Sora'.

"A question relevant to the course if you would."

"That so? Then, can Kuro-chin help me with English today?"

"Of course."

"How does one ask for seconds in English?"

" ** _May I have seconds, please?_** " Kuroko said in English with a slight accent. Murasakibara's face scrunched up.

"Mai I haab seckonds, pleese?" Murasakibara slurred, having trouble pronouncing some of the English consonants.

"Close, Murasakibara-kun. May I ask why you need this?"

"Hmm. Well, I like food, and the teacher was showing us examples of American snacks and food. It seemed interesting. I thought it would be nice to eat."

"..." Kuroko waited for further explanation but realized none was forthcoming. "Is that it?"

"Yeah."

"I see..." Kuroko said. ' _So in the end, it wasn't relevant to the course_.' "If that is all you have for questions, then let us continue where we left off. You still seem to be struggling in math quite a bit."

"But I don't want to do math," Murasakibara complained. "It's so useless~"

"Math is not useless. It will be very important for your future." At the boy's unconvinced look, Kuroko added, "How will you manage your finances when you grow up?"

"But that's annoying." Kuroko lightly sighed.

"Murasakibara-kun, please."

"Don't want to."

Bribery it was.

"Murasakibara-kun... How about this? Stay motivated for this session, then we can go to the vending machine and get a snack of your choice," Kuroko said, noting how the boy didn't have his usual stash of chips on him.

"Really?" Murasakibara ask, eyes shining with sudden motivation.

"Just one," Kuroko reminded him.

"Okay then~"

"Thank you. Now as for math..."

X

"Thanks a lot Kuro-chin," Murasakibara said as he happily munched on his newly bought chips.

"Kuro... chin?" Kuroko said in disbelief.

"Mhm. Kuro-chin asked for me to call you by your given name so it's Kuro-chin."

"But '-chin'..."

"It means I like Kuro-chin~"

"If you insist then I don't think I can stop you," Kuroko said. She wasn't going to put effort into fighting him with these sorts of matters anymore. Kuroko continued to watch the giant eat and her eyes softened at the pure childishness that was Murasakibara. "You should eat healthier."

At this, Murasakibara scowled lightly, muttering something under his breath. "Snacks are tastier."

"Snacks are meant to be tastier," Kuroko agreed. "However, meals are more filling. You won't grow properly if you continue to eat junk food."

"But I'm already super tall," Murasakibara said childishly. "Kuro-chin is small. Kuro-chin should eat more."

Kuroko twitched at this.

"I am not small," she protested.

"Kuro-chin is tiny~"

"I am not tiny," Kuroko said, irritation seeping into her tone. Murasakibara let out an amused laugh as his hand landed on Kuroko's head and began ruffling it.

"Kuro-chin is cute~"

Kuroko was bewildered and froze by the taller boy's actions. As soon as she came to her senses, she swatted the boy's hand away.

"Stop that," she said as she tried to smooth her ruffled hair.

"Ara? Did that upset Kuro-chin? Gomen, gomen~"

"Murasakibara-kun should go to practice now," Kuroko said flatly. She was not upset because she was treated like a child by someone that acted more like a child than her.

"M-kay Kuro-chin. Seeya~"

Kuroko watched the boy amble away with a small amount of displeasure. She took her headband out and retied her hair with a small pout. She was not tiny. She was not.

...She wasn't.

X

"Murasakibara, I said no snacks today," Akashi scolded as said boy walked into practice with a bag of chips.

"But Kuro-chin said I could have one if I was a good boy. I was a very good boy."

"I see... But that is still no excuse," Akashi said halfheartedly, seeing as the taller boy was pretty much done with the bag. "Well, I suppose it's too late now."

* * *

Haizaki had been missing. Again. With no small amount of irritance, Kuroko sent a message to Akashi saying she wouldn't be able to meet with him after school and set off to find the runaway. Apparently not even Akashi's threat could keep Haizaki in line.

She was missing basketball practice for this, but she liked to take her responsibilities seriously. She passed by the shop that had some Teiko students hanging about. No Haizaki. She continued to walk around town, eyes scanning the surroundings.

Where was he? Where would a delinquent go?

Kuroko stopped in her tracks. She had no idea where a delinquent would go. Kuroko shook her head. No, she was smarter than that.

A delinquent would go... a delinquent would go... to an arcade?

Kuroko congratulated herself. That seemed like the most likely option. Now the nearest arcade to the school was... Kuroko blinked as she came to. The surroundings... were unfamiliar.

She was lost.

X

"Fuck," Haizaki growled, glaring fiercely at the three older boys surrounding him in the alley. So the shit from last week had an older brother. He wiped the blood from his mouth. Damn. Fuck it all.

"Had enough, little shit?" Taki asked with a sneer.

"No, I think the baby need another lesson. Just look at his face all ready for another beating," another one of the boys said with a smirk. Haizaki tensed.

The final boy was about to speak but jumped in surprise instead.

"What the fuck?" The boy shouted as he whipped back.

"What's wrong?" One of the thugs asked with a frown seeing his friend pale as a sheet.

"I swear someone tapped my shoulder," the boy said nervously as he glanced around.

"What are you talking about? No one's there- What the fuck?!" Another boy quickly turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He too paled as he saw nothing but thin air. "Oi... this is really creepy."

"Hah? What are you two talking about?"

"Um, excuse me?" Haizaki's eyebrow rose at the familiar voice.

"What now?" Taki, the leader of the small group, said irritated. He didn't get why his two friends were- wait.

"Would you mind pointing the way to the-" Kuroko was cut off as the three older boys let out a shriek of terror at her sudden appearance.

"G-...ghost!" One of them shrieked, causing the other two to panic as well.

"I'm not a ghost," Kuroko said plainly. "I am a human."

Taki calmed down enough to grab Kuroko by the collar in anger. "You got a problem punk?"

"I need directions to the arcade."

"Shove off and find someone else to ask."

"I can't get other people to take note of me. Besides, violence is bad," Kuroko said. She had spotted the three boys surrounding someone, and by the looks of it, things were not good. Her gaze trailed to the fourth boy and was surprised to see Haizaki. "On a side note, it seems I no longer need those directions."

"Hah? What's with you-" The boy was cut off as Kuroko was jerked away by Haizaki who had grabbed her wrist and pushed through the crowd of boys.

"What the-? Shit, the boy was with him! After them!"

Haizaki cursed silently as he pulled the boy along with him through the maze alleyways. He did not expect the shorty to interfere like that, but perhaps it had happened for the better. Haizaki ducked into another alley, still pulling the boy along with him.

"Haizaki-kun, please slow down," Kuroko said through short gasps. Her hair tie had fallen off at some point, leaving her hair to fly loosely behind her.

"You're tired already?!"

"My body... is quite... weak."

"Fuck. Hold on unless you want to get beaten up." Haizaki said as he took another turn. The older boys were not far behind.

"Haizaki-kun."

"Huh? Wha-" Haizaki was surprised when Kuroko grabbed him and all but slammed him against a wall, their bodies just covered by a trash can. Kuroko's hand covered Haizaki's mouth to cover any protests. Haizaki briefly struggled before stilling as the sound of footsteps got louder.

"This way!"

Haizaki raised a brow when all three boys passed them without an ounce of suspicion.

The two remained still, panting and waiting to make sure the thugs wouldn't return.

"Seijūrō-kun was right," Kuroko said after a while had passed. "I suppose my weak presence does have its uses once in a while."

"Get off of me," Haizaki grunted as he pushed Kuroko and her hand away. "Why are you even here?"

Kuroko cocked her head, and Haizaki flushed at the image she made. ' _Holy crap, is this guy really a male_?' Haizaki said as he turned his head away.

"Haizaki-kun missed our after school session twice."

"Like hell I'm going to those," Haizaki snarled as he dusted himself off.

"But Haizaki-kun's grades are not good."

"Oh shut up," Haizaki said.

"Haizaki-kun should at least try. Haizaki-kun seems like he could do well if he tried."

"Yeah, well I'd rather not. School's boring."

"That depends on your perspective. I find school enjoyable as that is where I am able to speak to my friends."

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"No. I don't try to initiate conversation or try to drag it out, so this is a first. Being called that, that is."

"Whatever. Piss off," Haizaki said as he began making his way out. He twitched when he heard the soft steps of the boy following him. He turned to scold the boy but jumped at seeing no one.

"Yes?" Kuroko asked. Haizaki swallowed down a screech of terror as the boy seemed to appear and settled for scowling at the boy.

"Why are you following me?"

"I do not know the way out."

"Tch. Fine. But only until the main street."

At the main street, Haizaki turned right. Kuroko also turned right.

Haizaki took a left at the crossroads. So did Kuroko.

Haizaki turned the corner with a twitch. Kuroko followed with her usual blank expression.

Finally, at the fifth intersection, Haizaki whipped around.

"Why the hell are you still following me?!" Haizaki yelled, garnering more than a few stares of disapproval at his language.

"I told you, I do not know the way."

"Are you an idiot? This is the same road our school is located on!"

"...It is?"

"Are you screwing around with me?!"

"No. I'm sorry, Haizaki-kun, I am not with directions."

"The school's just straight down that way!" Haizaki said as he pointed behind her.

"That is no good, Haizaki-kun. I will for sure get lost on the way there."

"It's a straight road!"

"That's what people always say, but the road always splits and bends."

"You just have to follow the damn road. I'm going home so stop following me!"

"..."

"..."

"I do not know the way."

"Fuck!"

X

"There. You happy?" Haizaki said, exhausted. The two stood in front of the school entrance.

"Very much. Thank you, Haizaki-kun. I would have gotten lost without your guidance."

"I don't even... Whatever. You're welcome. Now I'm leaving. I beg you to go home now," Haizaki said as he turned and walked back in the direction they came from.

"Have a nice day, Haizaki-kun," Kuroko said with a bow. "Thank you very much."

Haizaki showed no signs of acknowledgement.

"I'll see you tomorrow after school," Kuroko added, and she swore she saw the boy stiffen.

* * *

"It's nice of Haizaki-kun to join is today," Kuroko said pleasantly the next day.

"Shut your mouth shorty. I'd just rather not go through that shit again yesterday."

"I am not short and please watch you language."

"Zaki-chin is a bad boy~" Murasakibara said with a hum. "Senpai was super~ angry. He said Zaki-chin is in for a big punishment for skipping practice."

Haizaki groaned.

X

"Here you are," the cashier said as he handed the large boy his bag of snacks.

"Thanks~" Murasakibara said happily.

"That is no good."

"...Eh?" Murasakibara looked up at the familiar voice while the cashier let out a large shriek.

"Oh, Kuro-chin. Nice to see you. Whatcha doing here?"

"It's Sunday, Murasakibara-kun. I usually go grocery shopping on the weekends. I see you are restocking your supply of snacks as well."

"Mhm. Maiubo and chips are the best."

"Yes, but you should recheck you receipt."

"Eh? Why?"

"The man just charged you more than you should have paid for. You could have bought... perhaps another two packs of maiubo with the amount you just paid?"

"Oh?" Murasakibara said, voice dropping and eyes narrowing at the cashier who had begun sweating. "How could you tell?"

"The maiubo are on sale for 500 yen a box, and you bought about seven I suppose. You have another eight bags of chips which are about 600 yen each. When you add up the cost, even with tax, there is no way you should have been charged so much."

"Is that true, Mister?" Murasakibara said with a glare, causing the cashier to let out a small yelp.

"I-I'm sorry. It was a mistake I swear-"

"If Murasakibara-kun comes here frequently, then there's a chance that this might not be the first time."

The aura around Murasakibara was deadly.

A scream of terror could be heard outside the store.

Murasakibara walked out of the convenience store in a much cheerier mood with 4 extra packs of snacks from a very apologetic manager.

"That is still way too much money spent on snacks," Kuroko commented from next to him.

"Snacks are good~"

"So you say, Murasakibara-kun."

They stopped at the corner and Murasakibara shifted all his bags to his left hand. He ruffled Kuroko's hair with his now free hand with a carefree smile.

"Thanks a lot, Kuro-chin~ I'll never forget this."

"Please refrain from messing with my hair." Kuroko said with a small pout. "And you are welcome."

"Eh? But Kuro-chin's hair is so soft."

"Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko warned.

"Alright, alright. Don't get so mad." Murasakibara pulled his hand back, rearranging his load once more.

"Neh, Kuro-chin. What flavor do you like?"

"?"

"Vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry?"

"This again? Well, I can't really say since I haven't really eaten that kind of stuff."

"Nani?" Murasakibara asked, eyes widening. "Kuro-chin... Kuro-chin leads a very sad life."

Kuroko twitched, tempted to jab the boy in the stomach. "That's rude, Murasakibara-kun."

"But-"

"I'm going home. It was nice seeing you, Murasakibara-kun."

"Already? Okay then, bye-bye Kuro-chin." Murasakibara said with a wave. Kuroko paused before a her lips twitched into a small smile.

"I hope you learned how important math will be today, Murasakibara-kun."

"Urg..." Murasakibara grunted, frowning.

* * *

"So?" Akashi asked in class.

"It's been going rather well, Seijūrō-kun. Murasakibara-kun is focusing as much as he can and Haizaki is actually showing up."

"Are you sure? I can take over if you want," Akashi said slyly.

"Seijūrō-kun, you sound very suspicious in your intentions."

* * *

X

 _Useless. Useless. Useless._

 _You are not needed by anybody._

Those words repeated in her head like a broken record. Why was her father so cruel? Kuroko winced as she felt his foot slam into her rib cage. She held back a cry of pain.

 _You should not have been born. You are cursed. You and your traitorous mother._

No, no, no. Her mother must have loved her. And Father must also love her somewhere in his heart. Mother had said so. That's what parents are for. Parents love their children. Another kick to the stomach left her breathless.

 _Why couldn't you just have disappeared with that woman?_

Mother didn't disappear. She wouldn't just leave her to suffer... right?

 _Nobody will miss you._

That's not true. There were people that would miss her right? They would notice if she disappeared... right?

Kuroko's vision blurred before she fell into darkness.

X

* * *

"Tetsuya, are you alright?" Akashi asked worried. The girl had been in a daze all day.

"I'm fine. Just stiff from sleeping in the wrong position," Kuroko said, voice slightly strained.

"Having a good night's rest is very important. You should be more careful," Midorima scolded, observing the dark circles under the girl's eyes.

"I will keep that in mind, Midorima-kun."

Akashi still stared at her a bit doubtfully.

"Are you sure you are okay? The last placement test before autumn is today, but if it's that bad you should sit out."

"I am fine, Seijūrō-kun. I will pull through."

"You should go to the infirmary and rest. They have a supply of painkillers available to students as well given that you ask the nurse for permission."

"That is unnecessary-"

"I agree with Midorima. You should go rest."

"But-"

"I will inform the teacher of your absence and take notes for you as well."

"This is hardly an excuse to miss class."

"Tetsuya, we _insist_. Don't make me drag you down there."

"...Very well."

"And don't think you're going to skip lunch either. We'll be coming by to pick you up."

Kuroko let out an irritated sound.

"That's not fair."

"Tetsuya?"

"I"m going, I'm going. Midorima-kun and Seijūrō-kun shouldn't subject their classmates to peer pressure," Kuroko grumbled on her way out. Internally, she was relieved. It was hard to breathe. She might have to visit the hospital again at this rate. She sighed as she debated on a believable alibi. A tumble down the stairs? Well, she had some carpet burns to match so...

Kuroko opened the door to the infirmary. Imagine her surprise as she was all but mowed down by a boy at least two to three heads taller than her.

"Oh shit. Are you okay?!"

* * *

 **A/N: Slightly shorter than usual but I felt I needed to get this out and the ending was the perfect cliffhanger. Guess who ;)? So not a lot of Midorima and Akashi since I was focusing on introducing Haizaki and Murasakibara this time. Everybody's coming together one by one~ No worries; Aomine, Kise, and Momoi are going to be coming into the story soon. As a side note to those actually reading this, please don't be too surprised with Kise's attitude when I bring him in, because as it was stated, Kise does not actually have a good character to those that has not earned his respect and is rather cold to outsiders.**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


	4. The Basketball Idiot and the Liar

**_Three Years Prior:_**

 _"The name's Ogiwara Shigehiro! You can call me Shige for short!"_

 _"Ogiwara-kun."_

 _"Eh? No, that's way to polite! Come on! Shi-ge. Say it with me!"_

 _"Then... how about Shigehiro-kun?"_

 **Chapter 4:**

"Oh shit. Are you okay?!" Kuroko heard as she crashed to the floor.

"I am fine," Kuroko said in a daze as she looked up at the figure towering over her. A senior perhaps? She dully felt an alarm going off in the back of her head. Everything was not supposed to be this blurry.

"Sorry, I swear I didn't mean to push you or anything." Kuroko cocked her head as she made out a hand being extended to her. The boy seemed... vaguely familiar?

"Oi, you know, when somebody offers their hand, usually you take it." Kuroko startled out of her stupor.

"Ah, arigato," Kuroko said as she took the boy's hand. She stood up with a bit of difficulty, swaying on her feet.

"Your hand's pretty small for a guy. Name's Aomine Daiki." Aomine... Daiki? Oh. She could vaguely make out tan features and dark blue hair.

"Ah... I am Kuroko Tetsuya. Aomine Daiki... you... you were one of the first years who got into the first string of basketball on the first day?"

"Yup. That's me. Nice to meet ya, Tetsuya."

"Tetsu...ya?" Kuroko said, stunned by the boy's friendliness. Her head throbbed.

"Yeah, that's your name, isn't it? Why do you sound so confused?"

"I was not aware we were on such familiar terms."

"Oh. Come on, don't be so stiff." Aomine said as he slapped Kuroko's back. Kuroko crumbled from the force and pain. "Oh shoot! Sorry, sorry! I didn't think I hit you that hard, are you okay?!" Aomine said frantically as the boy once again fell in front of him. Kuroko felt another wave of dizziness crash into her.

"Itai... Aomine-kun, please watch your strength. If you hit any harder, my ribcage might collapse and I'll die."

"Sorry!" Aomine said, agitatedly. "I, er-, I can't control my strength very well so..."

"How unfortunate for a basketball player," Kuroko said as she picked herself up using the wall. Her legs trembled from sudden exhaustion as they tried to support her weight.

"Oi, I don't mean it like that! I'll have you know that on the court I'm-" Aomine lunged forward as the boy collapsed again, this time catching him. His face was one of disbelief and panic. "Oh geez... He's out cold. Crap. I didn't cause this, did I? No, calm down. He was coming to the infirmary anyway so..." Aomine carried the boy to an empty infirmary bed and gently placed the boy under the covers. "That'll have to do, right?"

With a sigh, Aomine turned to leave but was stopped by a tug on his fingers. The boy's pale hands were gripping his own fingers in a light but firm hold. The boy himself still seemed to be asleep.

" _Onegaidayo... bokuo oite ikanaideyo..._ "

"...Hah?" Aomine said, at a loss at what to do. "What are you, a kid? I got classes..." Aomine halfheartedly tugged his hands but the boy's grip remained firm. The boy's eyebrows furrowed as if in pain. Aomine groaned at whole situation he had been placed in."Ugh. What is this, a shoujo manga? At the very least, couldn't it be a beautiful girl instead of a feminine guy?" He pulled a nearby chair next to the boy's bed and settled for the inevitable wait. He yawned. He might as well get some sleep.

He only came for a god dang bandage, dammit.

* * *

" _Tetsuya. Tetsuya. Listen to me. Listen to your mother one last time. Be a good girl. Be a good girl for your father. Don't worry. Father loves you no matter what. I... Mother is so sorry. Forgive me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me._ "

Why?

 _"Mother is so sorry... Tetsuya, my child. My dear child. I love you. I love you so much."_

No, you don't. If you did...

X

Aomine opened an eye hazily. Where was he? His brain caught up with his body after a few seconds. Right. Bandage. Boy. Collapse. To his surprise, his hand was still being clutched by the boy.

Aomine stretched with a light groan as much as he could afford in his position. A glance at the clock told him not much time had actually passed. They had about another hour before lunch.

"Kaa..."

"Hm?"

"Okaa...san..." The boy murmered, shifting and curling Aomine's arm closer. Aomine twitched. When the boy snuggled even closer, Aomine stopped. Okay, that was it. That was his limit. He jerked his hand harshly away.

"I'm not your mother!" Aomine shouted, causing Kuroko's eyes to snap open. He felt a twinge of regret as the boy jerked out of his sleep and sat up in alarm. The boy's light blue eyes frantically scanned the room before settling on him. The boy calmed down.

"...Ohayo," the boy said with a yawn, rubbing his eyes. Aomine's ears turned red. Dammit, he should not find this cute. He was a guy, a _straight_ guy.

"Ohayo my ass! It's nearly noon!"

"I see... Are? Aomine-kun, why are you still here?" The boy said, cocking his head. Aomine blew up.

"It's your fault! You grabbed my hand and you wouldn't let go!"

"I did...? But Aomine-kun could have just pulled his hand away. Aomine-kun is stronger after all."

"Gah... How could I, after you begged me to stay like that," Aomine said as his voice fell away into a mumble.

"I'm sorry?"

"You just randomly fainted, you wanted me to just leave you after that?" Aomine said as he fell back in his chair.

"..."

"..."

"Thank you... for staying," Kuroko mumbled, embarrassed. "I'm not... I didn't mean to bother Aomine-kun. I apologize for all the trouble I have caused." Kuroko bowed from her seated position, and Aomine rubbed his head sheepishly.

"I knocked you down twice, so let's call it even then, Tetsuya." Aomine said with a small smile. Kuroko returned with a small strained smile. She got the vague sense of déjà vu. Wasn't this similar to her with Seijūrō-kun? They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

"Why did Aomine-kun come to the infirmary?"

"Mm? Oh. Just a little scrape I got from gym class while we were doing laps outside. Satsuki was making a big deal about it though, saying I'd get an infection and lose my arm. Can't play basketball as well with only one arm, yeah?"

"As well?" Kuroko said, surprised.

"Yeah. Even if I lost an arm, there's no way I would quit playing basketball." Kuroko stared at the boy smiling brightly in his seat. For some reason, Kuroko felt a bubble of warmth rise through her chest.

"Hah... haha..." Kuroko broke into a light laughter, causing Aomine to flush.

"What?!" Aomine demanded. "Why are you laughing? Oi, stop that!"

"...I'm sorry, Aomine-kun. It's just... Aomine-kun is a basketball idiot, isn't he?" Kuroko said, a feeling of nostalgia sweeping over her.

"I'm not a basketball idiot," Aomine said with a scowl.

"If Aomine-kun says so. It's just that Aomine-kun reminds me of an old friend. Ahaha... Playing basketball with one arm..."

"You making fun of me?" Aomine demanded, still abashed.

"Not at all. I find the change in pace nice," Kuroko said as she settled down. Aomine stared at her with a calculating look.

"...You're weird."

"Eh?"

"But, it's not a bad thing. I like interesting guys like you," Aomine said with a genuine grin. Kuroko stared at him impassively.

"You have a nice smile," Kuroko said. Aomine turned red.

"Hah?! Where'd that come from?"

"And the one that is weird is Aomine-kun."

"You're in no place to say that! Don't say such embarrassing things like it's nothing!" Aomine said as he pulled a hand through his hair. This boy was really weird.

"By the way, isn't Aomine-kun going to go back to class?"

"What?"

"Aomine-kun said he couldn't leave because I was holding onto him. However, this is not the case anymore. Do you not have classes to attend to?"

"Oh... shit. Crap, it's almost- Satsuki's going to kill me," Aomine said as he abruptly stood up. He dashed towards the door and slammed it open. Aomine briefly glanced back, offering the boy a small wave. "Seeya around, Tetsu!"

Kuroko held up a hand in farewell as the door shut close.

"...Tetsu?"

* * *

"Tetsuya?" Akashi called as he entered the infirmary along with Midorima.

"Hai?" Kuroko said. Both males jumped in slight alarm. Their eyes focused on the nearest bed where she had adjusted herself into a sitting position.

"So you are here," Akashi said as he closed the door behind them."How are you feeling?"

"I took a short nap so I feel significantly better." Kuroko gave them a petulant glare. "And you talk as if you had expected me to run."

"You looked ready to back then, nanodayo." Kuroko sniffed.

"I wouldn't run."

"Moreover, it would be impossible, Midorima," Akashi said as he sat in the seat Aomine had previously occupied. "Tetsuya would trip and fall in the attempt."

"I would not," Kuroko protested.

"Hai, hai," Akashi said as if speaking to a child. "Anyway, as promised, lunch."

Kuroko felt like vomiting as Akashi lifted his bento box.

"Seijūrō-kun, not today," Kuroko begged. "I'll throw up if you make me eat." Akashi frowned in concern. He could tell this was different from her usual refusal to eat.

"Is that so? Do you have a fever or something?" Akashi asked. He leaned over to rest his forehead on hers. Akashi furrowed his brows in concentration, and after a moment, leaned back. "As far as I can tell, you're a little warmer than usual. The pre-stages of a fever perhaps?"

"Don't be ridiculous. It's still the summer season. I'm sure it's just a headache," Kuroko said as she tried to wave away the redhead's concern. Her eyes followed the green-haired male as he began walking towards the cabinet. "Midorima-kun? Where are you going?"

"Aspirin," Midorima said as he shuffled through the contents of cabinet.

"Midorima-kun, won't you get in trouble for going through there without the teacher's permission?" Kuroko asked, startled.

"You fool. This cabinet only holds basic medications and tools or else it would not be kept unlocked. It is opened to student use in fact."

"I don't need it!"

"Don't be foolish, Tetsuya. It's better to treat it earlier than suffer later."

"But-"

"Here." Midorima thrusted a small white tablet to Kuroko who stared at it in fear.

"Wait-"

"And tea if you need help swallowing it down," Akashi said as he handed her his thermos,

"..." Kuroko hid under the blankets in a flash, causing Midorima to nearly drop the tablet.

"Tetsuya," Akashi warned.

"...never..."

"Excuse me?" Akashi said.

"I've never... had medicine that... required me to swallow it whole..." Kuroko mumbled from under the blankets. Midorima and Akashi stared disbelievingly at the lump under the blankets.

"What?!" Midorima said, nearly dropping his lucky item (a wireless mouse).

"What do you mean you've never swallowed medicine before? How have you gotten by the past decade?" Akashi added, though his tone was much more subdued.

"...Grape-flavored medicine. Fluid."

"That's for kids!"

"..."

"Come on, just swallow it down. It'll be quick," Akashi said as he tugged on the blankets. She put up a small struggle, but Akashi easily yanked the covers away completely. Kuroko looked at them both miserably. Akashi offered a reassuring smile as he handed her the tablet he took from Midorima and a cup of tea from his thermos. Kuroko reluctantly took both. She stared fearfully at the tablet before popping it in her mouth. The two boys watched her as she fiddled with the tea. They heard a small crack and Kuroko's face twisted.

"...It's bitter."

"You're not supposed to chew on it!" Midorima yelled. "Just swallow it!"

"But... you don't swallow candy until you've broken it into pieces."

"This isn't candy!" Midorima said as he gestured towards the tea. "Just swallow it down with some tea." Kuroko managed to take a few gulps of steaming tea before she started coughing violently.

"Kuroko?!" Midorima said as he patter her back.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi said, just as worried as he took the cup and set it to the side.

"It's... hot." Kuroko rasped. "I think I burned my mouth... and throat."

"Then you should have blown on it before you carelessly drank so much!" Midorima scolded.

"But the medicine was so bitter... and I wanted to get rid of the taste..."

"Kuroko you fool!

* * *

Kise Ryouta had experienced a great numerous things in his life, especially since he entered the modeling business young. He had learned to take most things in stride. Constant attention from female fans? Fine. Yes, it got annoying quickly, but he humored them and kept a smile on his face. Busy schedule? That was fine. He kept his grades up so he wasn't failing.

Bored because he was good at every sport he tried? Fine, he would just change clubs every time it got too tedious.

A bit lonely since he had no one to talk to? It was fine. He had never had much friends anyway. He didn't need anyone. He was better off alone. Girls were annoying, other boys were jealous... He was better off alone.

Today was one of those days where keeping a smile on his face was too tiring. He ditched baseball, his current club, and escaped to the library where he knew few students wandered to. Today, he felt like wallowing in misery without anyone seeing. So he walked through the shelves until he found a deserted corner. He let out a small sigh of relief as he saw it empty save a few textbooks some kid must have left behind. Seeing an empty chair pulled out he dropped onto it.

He hated it. The sound of the wind-

...Are? Kise shifted and wiggled in his spot. He didn't remember any of the chairs in the library being cushioned. And... was the chair... moving?!

Something weakly slammed against his back.

Kise lept out of the seat with a large shriek.

"HHHYYYAAAAA! NO! GHOST!" Kise all but screamed as he fell to the floor and held his hands up over his face in defense. Kise trembled, but after a minute of silence, he slowly opened an eye. He paled when he saw the seat. Empty as it had been when he had sat in it. He shivered.

It was a slight movement, a twitch of a pale hand that alerted Kise that the chair was not empty at all.

Seated on the chair he had previously thought unoccupied was a pale boy who looked like he was barely conscious. His pale blue hair dangled off the chair in a low ponytail and his entire body was slumped. His eyes were lidded and pained and he could hear him lightly panting. Kise tentatively reached out and poked the boy's cheek. He almost flinched as the boy's eyes snapped open and stared at him intensely.

Light blue. A shade paler than the sky's. Those were Kise's first thoughts when he met the boy's eyes. As he took another cursory glance at the boy, Kise admitted that this was one of the prettiest boys he had seen aside from himself. Maybe he was a bit feminine and small, but it suited him

"Err... Are you okay?" Kise finally asked.

"You sat on me," the boy said, sounding annoyed, surprised, and lost all at once. God, even his voice was feminine.

"Um... yeah. Sorry about that. You're... not a ghost, right?" Kise said nervously. The boy managed to express his displeasure with no large outward change in expression.

"No, I am not a ghost or else you would not have been able to touch me. Would you like to test it out again?" the boy asked in a menacing tone as he lifted a small fist.

"Haha, no..." Kise said as he stood up. What a sudden turn of events. He had horrible luck. Was he not even allowed to sulk by himself? He had never even seen this boy around despite the boy's discerning features. He had never met someone with... with... such low presence.

"Staring is rude," the boy stated in a monotone.

"Um, sorry, sorry -ssu. I didn't know anyone else was here," Kise said as he rubbed his head.

"Well I was." Oh boy, he sounded mad.

"Uwa! Sorry! Please forgive me this once -ssu!" Kise said as he clasped his hands together in apology.

"...It's... fine," the boy said hesitantly, though Kise felt the boy was still mad.

"Man! You've got a seriously low presence! I didn't notice you at all!" Kise said as he pulled out the chair in front of the other boy.

"So I've been told."

"How does that feel? To be ignored by everyone?" Kise asked in a cheerful tone. "You see, I garner attention wherever I go and it gets really annoying sometimes. I wonder what it feels like to be unnoticed." The boy stared at him unnervingly.

"..."

"Is it really boring and lonely? Ne ne, say something-"

"Ugly."

"...Excuse me?" Kise asked with narrow eyes.

"I said 'ugly'. That smile I mean."

"What do you mean?" Kise asked, his smile turning sinister.

"If you don't want something, then you don't want it. If you don't want to do something, you don't do it. Don't smile if you don't want to. You look as if someone is holding a knife to your neck." Kise's smile completely dropped as his face morphed into one of confusion.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"You don't look happy at all." Kise still stared at him questioningly. "You... you look bored."

Time stopped for Kise at that moment. He could only stare at the boy frozen, eyes wide. Was this really happening? Someone he had met just a few minutes ago had stripped away the mask he had built upon for years.

The wind came to a halt.

"You... how? How did you..?"

"It was just an observation. Feel free to ignore it."

"...Hey, what's your name?" Kise asked curiously.

"Will I be targeted for bullying if I told you?" the boy said flatly, looking at him suspiciously.

"What- no! I'm just curious~" Kise said, leaning his head against his hand.

"No."

"Eh?"

"I said no."

"But, why not?"

"You are a very sketchy character." Kise gaped at the boy before he got up and dropped into the seat right next to the boy. He swung an arm around the boy's shoulder.

"Sketchy? That's a bit harsh isn't it. Fellow first years should get along! What do you say -ssu?"

"I hope you are not assuming my age because of my height." The boy was irritated again.

"Eh?! You're a senpai?! But, but, your're so tiny -ssu!" Kise exclaimed. The boy stared at him balefully.

"I see... so this is what it means to want to throttle somebody."

"What?!" Kise exclaimed as the boy attempted to disengage his arm, but Kise just pulled him closer. "Come on, let's just get along! I'm-"

"I didn't ask for your name," the boy interrupted him.

Kise was startled. At the same time, he felt a sense of thrill that had been missing in his life. This was refreshing.

"How about you and I hang out together sometime then -ssu," Kise said slyly.

"I don't want to. As I said before, you're a very character with suspicious intentions."

"You're a pretty funny guy, you know that?"

"No, I don't. I'm not good at jokes."

"Eh, don't be like that, senpai~ You don't look like you have any friends. How about settling for little ol' me?" This time the boy frowned visibly, firmly taking hold of his hand and removing it.

"Could you please stop being so sarcastic?"

"...Oh?"

"You are quite rude, aren't you? Who are you to assume I have no friends? Just because you do not have any, do not assume I am the same." Kise frowned at this.

"I have friends!" Kise protested. A lie. "I have plenty of people chasing after me, I'll have you know."

"Admiration is not the same as respect. To be a friend... it means you acknowledge and respect the other person. I can tell you have no respect for other people. And I do not think admiration is entirely bad, but I think it has made you quite vain. Now if you would excuse me, I need to leave."

With a polite bow, the boy disappeared with his bag, leaving Kise with his mouth open. When Kise regained himself, his mouth morphed into a grin that would have scared off even his most loyal of fans. The sound of the ever present wind that had haunted him for so long was gone.

" _Looks like I can have some fun with this~_ "

* * *

Kuroko shivered as she felt an ominous sense of foreboding. She shook it off as an after effect of her condition. Kuroko sighed as she recounted her counter with boy. She had been studying in the library as Akashi had all but forced her to take the day off from practice and threatened to go as far as tie her to the infirmary bed if needed.

...

 _"Stupid Seijūrō-kun making me skip basketball practice," Kuroko sulked as she put the last of the books back in place. There wasn't much to do in the library and no one really came either, all occupied with their own clubs. "I have so much free time now... I've finished copying the notes from class... I guess I could start the homework and get something ready for Murasakibara-kun and Haizaki-kun." With that, she decided to camp herself at the desk in the corner of the library; a place no other students usually approached. Mathematics, Japanese, English, history, science... Boring. Kuroko set down her pencil with a sigh when she finished. She cleaned up her belongings and leaned back against the chair. It was so boring... she wanted to play basketball. Sure it was exhausting and painful, but it meant something at least. Feeling exhaustion and pain meant you were alive. On that note... what should she do? She should probably address the severity of her injuries._

 _What kind of lie could she come up with this time? Falling down the stairs was workable. But... Kuroko felt the rare stir of discomfort she had not felt in a while. She felt guilty fooling Aki-san, the naive nurse that always ended up in charge of her. Lying was..._

 _Kuroko was jerked out of her reverie as a boy walked into the private area. Kuroko looked at him with wide eyes. It was rare anyone found their way here... wait. This boy was-_

 _Kuroko wasn't given anymore time to think._

 _She could only watch frozen as the boy proceeded to sit on top of her._

...

Humiliated. She had never felt so humiliated in her life. Sure people bumped into her or knocked her over all the time, sure she had a weak presence. Sure she wasn't the easiest to notice, but... this was the first time she had been _sat_ on. **_Sat_** on. Oh, the horror of just imagining somebody finding out what had occurred. Kuroko had never felt such anger before in her entire life and she had never wanted to engage in physical violence as much as she had moments ago. Not only was the blonde heavy, her wounds ached from residual pain as a result of his... act of idiocy.

To add to that, the boy was wholly insincere. Of course she could recognize a fake smile like that; it was the same smile often reflected in the mirror.

And that condescending tone that he used as if mocking her; did he think her stupid? And then... the boy made fun of her height. The boy didn't even stop there. He proceeded to assume she had no friends because of her lack of presence. The nerve. The tall blonde boy was probably the most fake and irritating person she had met so far.

A liar. But... who was she to call him a liar? If that boy was a liar, then she was a hypocrite. Kuroko let out a hiss of anger. This did not make it any less right for the guy to be an absolute jerk.

Nonetheless, it could be said Kuroko Tetsuya's first impression of Kise Ryouta was not a good one.

* * *

"Are? Tetsuya, you look quite upset." Akashi said as he greeted her at front of the building with Midorima.

"I don't want to talk about it," Kuroko grumbled. "Rather, I would like to erase that from my memory. Just thinking about it makes me mad."

"And what exactly happened?" Akashi asked, curious beyond belief. He assumed it wasn't anything too severe as she looked more like a petulant child than someone who had a serious argument.

"It's none of Seijūrō-kun's business," Kuroko said stubbornly, picking up her pace.

"Leave Kuroko alone, Akashi. It is up to him whether or not to talk," Midorima said as he shifted his glasses.

"But you're dying to know as well, aren't you Midorima?" Akashi said, eyes sliding to the taller boy, amused. Midorima flinched.

"I do not..." Both boys stopped as Kuroko had stopped next to the brick post that marked the bounds of the school grounds. Both were alarmed as Kuroko suddenly punched the stone with her fist suddenly.

"Kuroko?!" Midorima said as the Kuroko panted in light frustration. After a moment, she fell to the floor in a crouch.

"Itai..." She whined, cradling her right hand.

"Why would you punch a brick wall then?" Midorima asked exasperatedly.

"It's just, it felt as if my insides were boiling, so I had to do something." Kuroko said as she inspected the damage to her hand.

"And do you feel better?" Akashi said as he offered her a hand to stand up.

"Somehow," Kuroko said with a sigh, grasping Akashi's hand to stand up. "Though now my hand is in pain."

"That's why I'm asking why you recklessly punched the hard wall!" Midorima said as he took Kuroko's injured hand in his own. "If you play basketball, you should take care of your hands better!"

"It is just a mild abrasion and perhaps a bruise to the knuckles."

"You shouldn't underestimate even a small scratch. What are you going to do if it gets infected and you lose your hand?" Midorima scolded as he pulled out some extra tape he used for his own hand. Kuroko's lips twitched into a smile.

"Then I will play basketball with one arm."

"Is that thought amusing to you?" Akashi asked.

"It's just a private joke, Seijūrō-kun."

"I thought you were not good with jokes?" Akashi asked with a raised brow.

"I am not good with them, though I am capable of making some. Besides, not being good at jokes does not mean I lack a sense of humor."

"I don't see how playing basketball with a single arm can be funny." Midorima said as he finished taping her hand.

"Ah, you see, I met a basketball idiot today," Kuroko said with small grin.

' _Basketball idiot... Aomine?_ ' Midorima thought.

 _'She must be talking about Aomine_ ,' Akashi thought at the same time.

"Oh, and arigato, Midorima-kun, for bandaging my hands. I think you'd make a great doctor," Kuroko said with a small bow of thanks. Midorima turned red.

"It's not that I care... I mean... something of this level isn't even a problem in fact. Just don't be careless." Midorima adjusted his glasses again to hide his face.

"Hai, hai. Midorima-sensei. I will take care as much as I can," Kuroko said with a wave. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

"Be safe," Akashi replied with a wave of his own.

The two watched as she tripped and nearly fell on to the road a couple meters away.

"...Is Kuroko really going to be fine?" Midorima asked doubtfully.

"Ah... perhaps not." Akashi said, just as doubtful.

X

Kuroko stared with a soft expression at her bandaged hand. Midorima was kind. She blinked. Thinking back... This was probably the most human contact she had without the intention of violence in a single day. Not since Shigehiro-kun had moved away.

"How interesting..." Kuroko said to herself.

* * *

 **Short Omake** (since this chapter is even shorter than usual)

With a polite bow, the boy disappeared with his bag, leaving Kise with his mouth open. When Kise regained himself, his mouth morphed into a grin that would have scared off even his most loyal of fans. The sound of the ever present wind that had haunted him for so long was gone.

" _Looks like I can have some fun with this~_ "

X

Kuroko froze as shiver went down her spine. This feeling of ominous foreboding. She rubbed her arms to get rid of the goosebumps while she stared around her, paranoid.

"What is this feeling? This horrible feeling? It's like I've just obtained some disgusting parasite or some lifelong disease..."

X

X

 _Years later_

"Kurokocchi -ssu~!" Kise said happily. **-(The disgusting parasite/lifelong disease).**

"What the hell are you doing, Kise?! Get off Kuroko!" Kagami yelled.

* * *

 **A/N: I didn't mean to write this so early, but dang did those review motivate me. I'm not surprised people knew it was Aomine that knocked her over, but still... Anyway, as promised, Aomine entered the picture. I didn't plan on bringing in Kise so early but he's honestly one of my favorite characters and I love writing him. Besides, the situation was too perfect not to bring in Kise. Thank you to all those that reviewed~!**

 **Also, to address some requests for one-shots. A-san requested for something between Haizaki and Kuroko. I have a general outline of what could work, though it won't be set when they're older, but when they're still children. For Anonimous, sure, I think I can manage a short where they actually apologize to Kuroko.**

 **Things are going to get extremely busy soon so this actually might be my last chapter for a while so there might not be any updates until the summer (if there are, they'll be extremely short).**

 **Revised/Edited: 6-20-17**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


	5. Two Lonely Children Part 1

**Chapter 5:**

 _3 months later..._

"Vice Captain? Seijūrō-kun, that's amazing," Kuroko said with awe in her voice.

"Thank you, though the Nationals are coming up in a week, so things have been hectic as of late." Akashi said.

"Nationals? Already?" Kuroko asked, picking at the rice in her bento.

"Yeah. It starts early in the year so that third years have more time to study for the high school of their choice. The coach is making us stay extra hours to practice so we're ready for next week," Akashi said with a contemplative look. "At the busiest time of the year no less. Thankfully, I've already learned the coursework coming up and have worked on the assignments at least two weeks in advance." Both Kuroko's and Midorima's heads whipped towards the smug red-head.

"...Seijūrō-kun is somewhat frightening," Kuroko said with a sigh. Midorima let out a noise of agreement.

"Then I too will also strive to finish my work ahead of time, nanodayo," Midorima said resolutely.

"Will you come watch our games, Tetsuya?"

"Eh... I'd like to go, but I'm not excused from school like Seijūrō-kun and Midorima-kun are. I am also not ahead in the coursework like Seijūrō-kun is, so I will most likely be unable to attend."

"That's a shame. I would have greatly liked for you to be there," Akashi said, disappointment evident in his tone.

"I apologize, Seijūrō-kun. I will be rooting for you and the team the entire time."

"I suppose it can't be helped then," Akashi said with a small sigh.

"I'm sure you will all do fine. Seijūrō-kun and Midorima-kun have been working hard, haven't they?"

"Of course." Midorima pushed up his glasses. "There is no way we'll lose."

"How confident of you," Kuroko said. "But Midorima-kun should remember that no one will know who will win until that final buzzer goes off."

"I disagree. If there were over a fifteen point difference between us and the opposing team within the last minute, it would be impossible to catch up."

"You can't say that, Seijūrō-kun. What if an earthquake were to occur and cause the earth to swallow those on the bench of the winning team, instantly killing them?" They both stared at her strangely.

"...I don't even know where to begin responding to that." Midorima stated.

"No, it's better not to try and respond," Akashi said.

"Theoretically speaking, the chances of it happening is not actually zero," Kuroko argued.

"But as close as it can get to it," Midorima stated flatly.

"Stranger things have happened, Midorima-kun."

"No-"

"Well, if it isn't Tet-chan!" Nijimura rested his elbow upon the girl's head as he leaned down to her level. "Popular, are we?" The older male grinned as the girl swatted away his arm with a petulant frown.

"Nijimura-senpai," Midorima said respectfully.

"Nijimura-san," Akashi greeted.

"Yo! I suppose I'm not surprised you all are in the same class." Kuroko noticed people at the surrounding tables were staring and pointing at them. It was to be expected since Nijimura was quite famous for being a strong player in the basketball team, not to mention, the captain of the team as a second year at that.

"If Shuzo-senpai is finished, he can make his way out; I'm sure he knows where the door is." Kuroko said.

"Cafeteria is open to all students, and that's no way to treat your senpai," Nijimura scolded.

"And that was not how a respectable senpai was supposed to act."

"Cheeky little brat."

"I'm not-"

"Anyways, you two. If you haven't done so, it might be a good idea to get your homework for the next week early. There won't be much free time between games and going to and from school."

"Thank you for the advice. However, I have already completed my work ahead of time and I am sure Midorima-kun will have no problems working ahead as well."

"Heh. Should have known. If only the other first years had as much sense as you two..." Nijimura said as he walked away. They could hear him muttering under his breath. "Damn Aomine and Haizaki..."

* * *

"Haizaki-kun, this is amazing. This is the first history test in which you've received a double digit grade on."

"I don't like that tone you're using," Haizaki grumbled as he leaned back against the chair. Kuroko continued to look over his test before her expression went flat. She set down the book in her left hand.

"...Ah. This is... I take back what I said. Haizaki-kun, are you an actual idiot? I do not understand how the answer to 'From which southeast Asian country did the new strains of rice that were introduced to China during the Song dynasty come from?' is 'Nigeria'. Haizaki-kun, Nigeria is on another continent entirely."

"Shut up! I improved, didn't I?" Kuroko gave him a long look before switching her grades to Murasakibara's papers.

"Murasakibara-kun also did exceptionally well," Kuroko praised, a small smile on her face. "Your scores have jumped by over 30 points. I'm so proud of you."

Murasakibara looked pleased by the praise.

"I did well, Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara asked as he lifted a chip to his mouth (Kuroko had given up on trying to stop him from eating in the library).

"You did very good, Murasakibara-kun."

"Mm... praise me more," Murasakibara demanded.

"Excellent work, Murasakibara-kun."

"More."

"Very good work."

"Mo-"

"And as a reward for your good behavior, I brought you some maiubo." Murasakibara's mouth snapped shut as he stared at her with glittering eyes.

"Mai...ubo?"

"Hai," Kuroko said as she reached into her bag and pulled out 6 maiubo. "One maiubo for every ten points you got on the test."

"Uwah~ Thank you Kuro-chin. Neh, Kuro-chin, if I get a hundred, will you give me... 10 maiubo?"

"That is correct, very good Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko praised. Murasakibara looked happy as he started unwrapping a maiubo, mumbling about doing his best.

...

 _Roughly a few hours ago..._

 _"Maiubo."_

 _"..?"_

 _"It is Murasakibara's favorite snack."_

 _"Eh..."_

 _"I heard that he has been improving in math. It is good to reward those that do well."_

 _"I see."_

 _"I bought a box of it in preparation for this. Would you like to take some?" Akashi said as he pulled out a colorful box filled with the puffed corn snacks._

 _"?!"_

 _"Don't be shy. It was for Murasakibara from me in the first place. This way it will be put to better use."_

 _"Ah, it's not that. I'm just a bit startled at how well prepared Seijūrō-kun was." Akashi once again offered the box to her._

 _"Then I will take a few. I will increase the amount according to his grades. Thank you, Seijūrō-kun._ "

 _"It was my pleasure."_

...

"Oi! What about me you little shit?" Haizaki demanded. He attempted to snatch one from Murasakibara, but flinched as the teen gave him a death glare. Kuroko cocked her head.

"I was not aware Haizaki would also like something as a reward. Would you like candy then?"

"Hell no! Get me some gravure magazines."

"Haizaki-kun, language. Gravure magazines..." Kuroko said contemplatively. "I'm not sure what they are but I will see what I can do. Also, both of you are participating in Nationals next week, are you not?"

"Mhm."

"Yeah, so what?"

"It would be good to work ahead a bit since you will essentially be missing a week of school."

"What?! Isn't this an excused absence?" Haizaki said, slamming his hand on the table, much to Kuroko's disapproval.

"Let me remind Haizaki-kun, that clubs are an extracurricular activity. You are responsible for your grades even if it is because of club activity."

"Tch. Why should I have to..."

"I didn't think you would. So I have taken the liberty to retrieve the coursework for Haizaki-kun from his teachers. Ah, I've also got some of yours as well, Murasakibara-kun."

"You what?!" Haizaki said.  
"Mm. Thanks Kuro-chin." Murasakibara said at the same time.

Haizaki whipped his head towards Murasakibara in disbelief. The boy in question shrugged.

"Free maiubo."

"You're intolerable..."

"Haizaki-kun, I'm amazed you know a word as large as 'intolerable'."

"You, shut up!"

* * *

"Where can I get gravure magazines?" Kuroko asked the next day during break.

Milk sprayed from Midorima's mouth. Akashi's pencil rolled off the desk.

"What... what need would you have with those disgusting things?!" Midorima demanded, wiping the milk on his chin.

"Uh..." Kuroko stuttered, confused at the extreme reaction her question had brought. "Well, Haizaki-kun said he wanted a reward for doing better and that he would like it in the form of gravure magazines... Is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Akashi said pleasantly as he picked up his pencil from the floor. "Luckily, I know what Haizaki is talking about... I'll get it for you tomorrow." Midorima turned to stare at Akashi suspiciously.

"Eh? No, it's fine. It's not fair for Seijūrō-kun to be buying everything. You already bought the maiubo. If you can just tell me what to look for I am sure..."

"I insist, Tetsuya. Let me get the first one so you know what to look for next time, if Haizaki-kun still wants more after that that is."

"...Very well. But this is the only time, Seijūrō-kun."

"Of course."

"Ah, speaking of which, we are most likely going to have a quiz on the novel _The Catcher in the Rye_ since we were supposed to have read it by today. What did you think of it?"

"Ah. It was in English so it was a bit difficult," Akashi admitted. "I think it is amusing that she would assign a book with themes of teen angst and alienation to a bunch of teens."

"I did not think it was too difficult of a read either, though I had difficulties with some of the larger words. We need to return it today right?" Kuroko put in, searching through her bag for the book.

Midorima let out a small sigh. These two were incredibly intelligent considering they had described a book in another language as only 'slightly' difficult. He himself stumbled through sections of the book, not understanding some of the figurative language that was used. It almost made him feel inadequate at times-

"It's not here." Kuroko looked up from her bag with a troubled expression. "That's strange... I was reading it yesterday."

"Perhaps you left it at home?" Midorima suggested.

"No, I-" Kuroko paused. "I think I left it in the library yesterday. I still have time before class. I'll see if it's still there," Kuroko said as she quickly stood up.

"Be careful and don't get lost," Akashi called after her. Kuroko turned to give him a light glare, causing her to run into the door. The sound of the impact startled the students nearby as they realized what had caused the sound. Kuroko managed to get through the doorway, holding her head and swaying slightly on her feet.

Then again, there were times that Midorima didn't feel inadequate at all.

...

Kuroko quickly made her way through the hallways. She visited the library enough times to know how to get there. She quietly entered the library and made her way to the table she used to tutor her fellow first years. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw it still there, face-down as she had left it. She picked it up and glanced at the clock. She had plenty of time to make it back.

As she left the library, she passed a vaguely familiar person. She didn't give it much thought though as she rushed back towards the classroom.

Kise whipped his head around when his brain registered a flash of teal. He frowned when he could not spot the male anywhere near him.

"Damn. Missed him again..."

Kuroko sat in her seat just in time for the bell. Akashi startled briefly when he realized she was there.

"So you found it," Akashi said, seeing the book tucked in arms.

"Mhm."

"Alright! Time for a pop quiz!" The teacher announced. This was followed by groans as the students cleared their desks.

* * *

"Akashi-kun, this is..." Kuroko said, staring at the magazine within the plastic bag.

"Yes, a gravure magazine." Akashi said pleasantly. Kuroko looked a bit shocked.

"I-I see..."

Midorima only shook his head.

...

"Here you go, Haizaki-kun." Kuroko said, handing Haizaki-kun the shopping bag after the tutor session. "I had Akashi-kun help me find it, but... I was not aware you were into that sort of stuff."

With that, Kuroko quickly vacated the table, making her way to the gym for practice. Haizaki was a bit confused until he saw the cover of the magazine. It was one of those magazines for girls in primary school with the latest trends, fashion advice, and gossip. To top it off, it was bright pink.

"That Akashi," Haizaki growled, ignoring Murasakibara who was snickering at his misfortune.

* * *

Midorima and Akashi weren't here as expected, Kuroko observed. With the two gone, her thoughts began to stray. She didn't have to stay after to tutor Haizaki or Murasakibara either seeing as they were both gone. Her father was out on another business trip or whatnot, thankfully. Basketball club was on hold during the Nationals. She had library committee and extra practice at the gym, but frankly, she had nothing else to do.

Kuroko scanned the bookshelf in front of her before placing one just to the right of her head. Her gaze trailed to the top of the bookshelf and she frowned. The school should really provide a stool or a small stepladder. There was no way people like her could reach the top shelf without help. Kuroko stretched her arm and stood on the tip of her toes, attempting to put the book back in its place. She was just a couple of centimeters short.

"Well, if it isn't Senpai!" Kuroko nearly jumped. "I've been looking all over for you for months! You're a tough person to find, you know that?" Kuroko turned to stare blankly at the male who was caging her against the bookshelf, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Kuroko asked bluntly. And who was a senpai? She was a first year!

"How cruel -ssu! It's me! Remember? I accidentally sat on you last time. The name's Ki- Hey! What's with that super cold response?!" The boy said as he realized Kuroko had ducked under his arm was quickly walking away. Kuroko almost groaned when the boy quickly ran up next to her. She had almost forgotten about this guy.

"Is that how you treat a kouhai?" The taller male whined.

"I have absolutely no memory of you," Kuroko said, picking up her pace. He easily kept up with his long strides.

"Aw, come on, Senpai. Let's get to know each other, yeah?"

"Please go away." Kuroko said as she made her way behind the check out counter. The male chose to lean on the desk and watched her start checking in books.

"We can always-"

"Your gaze is extremely disturbing. Can you leave?"

"At least let me finish my sentences," the teen pouted. Kuroko sighed.

"If you're going to be here in the library, be productive." She handed the boy clear tape and labeled sticker, much to his confusion, and pointed at the books on the shelf behind her. "Those need a new label since they're nearly falling off. Please do get a move on."

"You're making me work?" The blonde asked incredulously.

"Do you want me to kick you out?" Kuroko responded. The boy blinked before letting out a small laugh.

"Very well, Senpai~ Ah! What's your name, Senpai?" Kise asked as he also made his way behind the desk. Kuroko paused. Telling her name to this guy seemed very troublesome.

"...Just call me 'Senpai'."

"Eh? But I want to know Senpai's name."

"But Senpai doesn't want you to know Senpai's name."

"Isn't it common courtesy for people to exchange names though?" Kise whined.

"Yes, just like it is common courtesy to sit on somebody."

"Ahaha... I really am sorry about that," the teen said, sheepishly rubbing his head. Kuroko remained silent. She couldn't muster enough willpower to say she forgave him. Because that was absolutely unforgivable. They fell into silence with the occasional sound of tape ripping and a computerized 'beep'.

"Senpai! I'm done~" Kise said, proudly holding up some of the books up for inspection.

"...It's okay I suppose." Kuroko relented, seeing as the labels were neatly replaced.

"What now, Senpai?" Kuroko almost groaned. Didn't his guy have anything better to do?

"Don't you have a club of some sort?"

"Mm. I was in baseball... but I quit!" The boy said with a smile.

"You quit... because you were bad?"

"Of course not!" The blonde laughed as if she had said the funniest thing in the world. "No, never that. I quit because I was way too good."

Kuroko frowned.

"I see," she said, turning away and continuing her task.

"Eh? Senpai, are you mad?"

"No, just irritated that a person like you exists."

"What's that supposed to mean, Senpai!?" The blonde said holding a hand to his heart with fake tears streaming down his face.

"Was baseball not fun?"

"... I don't understand."

"Baseball, along with many other sports, is a team sport. You derive pleasure not only from victory, but also from the journey and bonds you make with your team."

"...That was super cheesy, Senpai." The blonde laughed, resting his head on his hand as he leaned on the desk. "But I don't think you understand. I'm good at any sport I try. Anything people can do, I can do better in a shorter amount of time. People don't like that. Of course it's not fun."

Kuroko glanced at him.

"I suppose that is pitiable in its own way, though I can't say I understand. And I believe your attitude might also prevent you from enjoying yourself."

The teen slumped.

"However," Kuroko said seriously, causing the blonde to staigthen, "I'm sure one day, in some way, you'll find a worthy rival that will want to make you do your best. And I'm sure you will one day find people who will accept your talents." The boy seemed to think about this before giving a small genuine smile.

"Yeah..." Then he was back to himself. "Wow, Senpai! I guess with age does come wisdom!"

"Aa. Though that may not be the case with you in the future."

"Senpai!" the blonde moaned. "Say something nice without insulting me..."

"I don't really feel obligated to."

"Please?"

"No."

"Just say I look dashing."

"You look like somebody who needs to have his face dashed over."

"What?! Senpai, how could you say that! This is a face that should not be ruined by any mortal."

"I'm going to throw a book at it," Kuroko said flatly, picking up a book. The boy let out a 'eek' before covering his face. He peeked out when no such impact was forthcoming. Kuroko immediately felt guilty. She hadn't actually planned on throwing it, but his reaction made her feel sick. At herself.

"I apologize for that just now. I don't really approve of any form of violence, so that was a mistake on my part."

"Well, it's not a big deal," the blonde said as he stood up properly. "I didn't think you were actually going to throw it."

"...I'm done." Kuroko set the last book aside.

"?"

"If you'll excuse me, I'll take my leave now."

"Where're you going?" The male said as he followed behind her.

"None of your business. Now please go away." Kuroko said as they exited the library. There were still quite a few people out as some of the clubs were just finishing.

"Senpai-"

"It seems like some people are looking for you."

The blonde tensed as he looked around. Kuroko used the opportunity to slip away. Kuroko felt grateful for her lack of presence when she heard the male's confused shout when he realized she was no longer there.

...

"Eh?! He's gone!" Kise exclaimed. He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the teal headed male, but he was gone. Kise felt ready to rip his hair in frustration. It had taken so long to find him! And when he finally did, it was by chance because he had managed to connect the book floating in the air to said male. He quickly straightened up when he realized there was a small crowd of girls around him.

"Are you alright?" Some of the girls asked shyly with blushes on their face. Kise quickly plastered a smile on his face.

"Ah, everything's fine. I just lost sight of my Senpai I was walking with."

"Eh? But there was no one next to you," one of the nameless girls said.

"Ah, you see, he's really hard to spot and he's really short. I seem to have just missed him."

 **X**

.=========.

 _From: Akashi Seijūrō_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 17:03_

 _Subject: Day 1 of Nationals_

 _We won our first two games in the Nationals._

.=========.

Kuroko hid a small smile when she read the message as she sat alone in the gym.

.=========.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Akashi Seijūrō_

 _Sent: 19:21_

 _Subject: Re: Day 1 of Nationals_

 _Congratulations, Seijūrō-kun, to both you and Midorima-kun. I wish I had been there to see it._

 _.=========._

* * *

Kuroko blinked.

The person in front of her smiled in an almost smug manner.

"You must really have nothing to do if you are here again," Kuroko said bluntly.

"Don't say that, Senpai. Say you're ecstatic to see me!" The blonde said, once again draping himself over the service counter.

...

Kise was quite pleased with himself. He wasn't stupid enough to realize that the male always seemed to hang around the library as that was where he had met him. The other day only confirmed his belief as the male organized and checked in books yesterday.

"..."

Kise felt exasperated.

"Are you ignoring me now, Senpai?!"

"..."

"I put all this effort into seeing you. Give me a reward," Kise whined. The smaller male sighed.

"Your effort is for your own enjoyment, no? That has nothing to do on my part. Why are you so persistent?"

"Hm... Well, I'd have to say, Senpai is very real."

"..." The male looked a bit irritated. "'Real'..? Are you making fun of me?"

"Oh, no." Kise said, waving his hands frantically. "No, no, no, no. Ahaha. See, Senpai is a very honest and blunt person."

"There are plenty of other people that are honest and blunt."

"Not to me, though," Kise said with a shrug. People's faces were always strained when talking to him, not knowing how to talk to a popular model. "Also..." Kise's smile turned a bit dark.

"You said my smile was ugly, and you told me that to be a friend, you must respect the other person. The only person I kind of respect in this entire school is Senpai. So take responsibility of me, Senpai~"

Kise noticed something briefly shift in the sky blue eyes. The teal head seemed to be in deep thought before he hesitantly reached out and... patted him on the head?

Kise was frozen in shock as his Senpai gently pat his head before the hand retreated.

"Then stay here as long as you would like. I will go along with your whims for now." Then the small male disappeared into the shelves with a couple books in hand that needed to be shelved.

Kise stared after him in a daze, his hand reaching up to the spot he had been touched. Kise flushed slightly. Was this what it meant 'to be acknowledged by senpai', as some would say? It wasn't a bad feeling.

 **X**

.=========.

 _From: Akashi Seijūrō_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 15:43_

 _Subject: Day 2 of Nationals_

 _We've secured our spot in the main tournament, today. Our second game tomorrow will be the quarter finals._

.=========.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Akashi Seijūrō_

 _Sent: 15:45_

 _Subject: Re: Day 2 of Nationals_

 _Impressive as always. Then do your best._

.=========.

* * *

Kuroko didn't even flinch the next day when Kise was sitting at one of the tables in the library, already waiting.

"Hello, Senpai," the teen chirped happily.

"Domo," Kuroko greeted. After his speech yesterday, she didn't really have the heart to turn him away. It was like a lonely child begging for attention. And Shigehiro-kun would have scolded her for being so mean.

"Ne, Senpai~ What're we doing today."

" _I_ ," Kuroko emphasized, "will continue my duties. Much of it is the same thing as yesterday."

"Again?" The male groaned. "That's so boring."

"May I remind you that is is _you_ that insists on being here? And of course that's all there is to do. You should make good use of this time and do your homework."

The blonde pouted but started pulling out some papers anyway.

It started as a small moan. Then it evolved into growls of frustration and the rapid shuffling of papers.

"Is there a problem?" Kuroko finally asked.

"Oh, Senpai! Sorry, I forgot you were here..." Kuroko twitched. "I'm just having a bit of trouble with math... And English... And Japanese... And History... And-"

"I get it," Kuroko cut him off. "...Would you like some help then?"

"Eh?"

"I am not good in sports, but I don't consider myself bad at academics. Let me repeat. Do you require assistance regarding your homework?"

"That would be great, Senpai!" The male said enthusiastically after a brief pause. He handed over the top page over to her. Math. Kuroko noted the name written at the top of the page. Kise... Ryouta was it? She had no time for further contemplation as she saw some of the calculations the male had attempted.

"Oh my..."

"?"

"How is it that you are good at sports, as you claim, but this bad at studying?" Kise slumped at this.

"Senpai," Kise whined. "Don't be so mean. The classes are so dull, how do you expect me to pay attention?"

"You're saying this atrocity is the result of a lack of focus."

"...Yes?"

"That's annoying."

"Why?!"

 **X**

 _.=========._

 _From: Me_

 _To: Kuroko Tetsuya_

 _Sent: 16:25_

 _Subject: Day 3 of Nationals_

 _We won again today and have moved up to the semifinals. We should have no trouble with our opponent tomorrow though I'm glad it's now one game a day._

.=========.

* * *

 **A/N: First of all, I would like to apologize for how late this was. Thank you _lotusdate_ for reminding me that I did technically promise this chapter as summer started. However, a combination of writer's block and laziness prevented me from doing so. There might be minor errors that I will go back and change. I have been working on this for a while, but I had trouble deciding what should go in or not, because writing about school life is EXTREMELY monotonic.**

 **On that note, I would be grateful if you want to send any suggestions of situations you want to see happen in school. Of course, most of the characters are gone for Nationals, so I'm going to be focusing on Kise for a while. I want to keep his entry into the basketball club canon. If I'm extremely motivated, Aomine might even end up appearing again by the end of the next chapter :D (which will be hopefully within a week).**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


	6. Two Lonely Children Part 2

**Chapter 6:**

"Senpai doesn't look like it, but Senpai's actually really smart," Kise said, earning himself an irritated glare.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah. It's a lot easier to understand when Senpai explains it."

"Aa. Well I suppose I'm used to teaching people with a childish mentality."

"I'm not childish," Kise defended.

"Hai, hai. If you insist. Now please the rest of problems on your own."

"Mk," Kise said as he started on the next equation. His senpai returned to his book, taking notes as he did. The problems were a lot easier now that he knew what to look for and the order in which to solve it. Kise managed to solve 6 problems within 9 minutes. "Senpai, I'm done! Can you check my work?" Kise asked, sliding his workbook over.

"Already? That was pretty quick," his Senpai said as he took the workbook. His blue eyes scanned the page. They widened as they reached the end of the page.

"This is... actually pretty good." Kise puffed his chest in pride.

"I mean, you got half of them wrong," Kise deflated, "but it's a lot better than before. Most of the calculations are right. You just messed up a little with the signs."

"I really tried my best though," Kise mumbled dejectedly.

"Well, as I said, it's definitely much better than your first attempt. I'm sure you'll improve the more you get used to it."

"Yeah," Kise muttered.

"Don't frown. You'll get wrinkles."

"I will?!" Kise said as he frantically began patting his face. "I'm too young to be getting wrinkles!"

"Please calm down. May I remind you while there is no one here, this is still a library."

"Hai, hai." Kise said as reclined in his seat in exhaustion.

"You should take a break, you have earned it," his Senpai said.

"Eh? Really?" Kise said.

"Hai. You've finished all your homework for today too. Rest. I still have things to finish."

Kise let out a sigh of relief, stretching his arms above his head. He rested his head on his arms, allowing the stress he built up to slowly wash away. The last few days had been particularly exhausting with all the photo shoots as his popularity rose as well as the constant fans that surrounded him at school. Because of that, he had even fallen slightly behind on school work. Kise closed his eyes, dozing off.

...

Kuroko was about to call out for the blonde until she realized he had completely fallen asleep. Kise's features, for the first time since she met him, looked relaxed and completely at peace. He looked like a small child.

Kuroko bit her lip. She didn't have the heart to wake him. Not when he looked like he could use the rest.

She quietly packed his books and utensils away in his bag before taking a seat next to him. She opened her novel and started reading. She didn't have much to do, so she might as well wait and wake him up later.

The sunlight from the windows dimmed and brightened as the clouds passed by.

After an hour, Kuroko's eyes began to flutter and she struggled to keep awake. She dimly recognized that she had reread the same passage in her book at least four times.

Finally, she too succumbed to her own exhaustion and slumped back in her chair. She closed her eyes, blocking out the light. Just ten minutes wouldn't hurt, she reassured herself.

 _..._

 _.=========._

 _From: Me_

 _To: Kuroko Tetsuya_

 _Sent: 17:14_

 _Subject: Day 4 of Nationals_

 _We have officially made top 4 in the nation. We won by 13 points. Will you not come to at least watch the finals?_

.=========.

Akashi pressed send.

"Oi! Hurry up and change you lot! We need to go once the bus driver sends a message that he's here," Nijimura yelled, causing a chorus of acknowledgements from the team.

"Man, I'm exhausted!" Aomine said as he slumped on the bench and leaned against the lockers. Momoi brightened.

"That reminds me, I made-" at that word, Aomine had regained his energy and had run out of the locker room, much to everyone's confusion.

"-some honey lemons! I'm sure it'll give everybody a boost of energy. Does anyone want some?"

The locker room cheered as they gathered around the cute pink-haired manager that had so kindly provided them with food. Akashi had felt the imminent coming of disaster the moment Aomine had made a run for it and made his way out of the locker room, making an excuse of getting a drink for the vending machines. Midorima seemed distracted with the bandaging around his fingers.

He closed the door behind him with a sigh. Akashi's eye caught Aomine who was crouched next to the door, looking spooked.

It wasn't long until Akashi understood why as he heard all noise in the locker room die down.

"Those... are those... limes?"

"They're not even cut..."

"Mou! I'm sure they'll still taste fine after you peel them!" Momoi said in an upbeat tone.

"I don't think that's honey unless honey is usually... blue," Nijimura's voice said in a strained tone.

Akashi immediately felt sick and Aomine was practically a shade lighter.

"Monster," Aomine was muttering under his breath.

...

Kise's eyes slowly opened, wincing as it was exposed to the harsh sunlight. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust as he sat up and stared at his surroundings in confusion. He was in the library, and from the looks of the setting sun, it was getting late. Kise was surprised when he saw his belongings already packed away. Had Senpai done it for him? He stood up slowly, stretching out his stiff muscles.

Kise nearly screamed when his hand brushed against something soft. He calmed his racing heart as he realized it was just Senpai who was sitting next to him. He hadn't even realized he was there!

"Senpai, you scared me..." Kise whined. When he got no reply, Kise leaned over curiously. To his astonishment, he seemed to be asleep in his sitting position, with a book lightly clutched in his fingers, dangling on the edge of his lap. His blank expression was replaced with something more... human.

"Hmm... Was Senpai waiting for me?" Kise asked softly, though he got no reply. He suddenly fished out his phone, and took a picture of his sleeping Senpai. Kise looked over the picture. Senpai really was cute for a guy. He smiled to himself satisfied with the potential material he could use in the future.

The book fell to the floor with a large thud, causing the male to stir from his slumber. Kise quickly hid his phone.

"Nn?" His Senpai was rubbing his eyes in confusion. "Where..? Ah, it's you."

"Senpai~" Kise practically sang. "You look so cute when you sleep!"

His Senpai looked at him dryly while standing up.

"I do not want to hear that from you. That aside, it is getting late. Will your parents not worry if you are late?"

"Ah! I forgot about that," Kise exclaimed as he sent a quick text to his mother. "What about Senpai?"

"Hm?"

"Won't Senpai's parents be worried if you're late?" Kise clarified.

"No. They are currently away," the male replied vaguely while pulling out a gray flip phone. For a second, Kise briefly saw a smile flicker over his Senpai's face as he read something on the screen.

"What is it, Senpai?" Kise asked, attempting to sneak a peek. The male immediately moved his arm away.

"A friend."

"You weren't joking about that?" Kise asked. His Senpai glared at him.

"I'm not good with jokes. You're not going to make any friends like that."

Kise sulked.

"You don't consider me your friend, Senpai?"

"No," he replied bluntly, causing Kise to slump. "You have not shown me anything quite worthy of praise as of yet." Kise perked up, dramatically posing.

"Are you saying these good looks aren't even worth a small amount of praise?"

"No. That's disgusting. Stop that immediately."

"Senpai!" Kise whined. "So mean -ssu!"

...

 _.=========._

 _From: Me_

 _To: Akashi Seijūrō_

 _Sent: 18:54_

 _Subject: Re: Day 4 of Nationals_

 _As amazing as it is, I still do not think I will be able to make it. Furthermore, it would be bad if I got lost in such a crowded area. I wish you the best of luck in the finals._

.=========.

* * *

"Senpai! It's an emergency!" Kise shouted as he walked into the library next day, waving a bunch of papers in his hand. "Senpai? Are you here yet-"

"I am right here."

"Wah! Senpai, don't do that," Kise cried. He dumped his bag on the nearest table and fell into the chair. "You'll give somebody a heart attack."

"I don't do it on purpose. You were saying something about an emergency?"

"Oh, right. Senpai, it's terrible! There's a test on Monday in Japanese History!"

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Save me!"

"By what means?"

"Senpai, don't be like that. Please help me study," Kise pleaded.

"You are quite panicked. If it is a test you are taking, surely your teacher told you at least a week in advance. Why does it seem you have found out about it just today?"

"..."

"Could it be that you were not listening?"

"...I tried."

"Please try harder. In any case, please tell me you have a general understanding of what you are learning." Kuroko picked up one of the paper Kise had brought. "The Edo Period, is it? Can you tell me when it started and ended at least?"

"Uh..." Kise said, rubbing his head sheepishly. "It started a long, long time ago... and ended a long time ago?"

"..."

"Wah! I'm sorry Senpai! Don't look at me like that!" Kise said at the look of horror on the teal head's usually impassive face.

"The test is on Monday..." Kuroko rubbed her head, willing the oncoming headache away. "The test is on Monday."

"Please forgive me," Kise said in a small voice. Kuroko took several breaths to calm herself before looking up.

"...Very well. Listen very well then. I will give you a crash course for your test. You will use that prodigious head of yours that you use in sports to take it all in and not forget over the weekend. You will not complain about how long or boring the session is so go ahead and inform your parents you might be late. And over the weekend, you **_will_ ** review in addition to this study session. If your grade on that test is anything less than an eighty, I am never helping you like this again. Is that clear?"

Kise straightened up, a bright smile forming on his face.

"Clear as water, -ssu! I knew I could count on you, Senpai. You're the best!" Kise exclaimed. He paused as he seemed to be analyzing her words once more. "Senpai! Did you call me prodigious?" Kise said, eyes sparkling.

"Only in the area of sports seeing you don't seem to amount to as much in academics as you do in sports." Kise slumped.

"And... an eighty? That's so high, Senpai! I can count the number of times I got a score as high as that!"

"...Please stop talking. You are making me extremely fearful of your future." Kuroko said as she took her seat. "Now then. From what I can tell, you are not an auditory learner, so you either learn best visually or doing things hands on."

"Sounds about right."

"Which is a major problem when learning history. I assume your scores for this subject are worse than your scores in math?"

"...Yes."

Kuroko stood up and walked away leaving behind a gaping Kise.

...

Was Senpai so shocked he had to leave? Kise panicked. Senpai wouldn't do this to him, right?

He could have asked some of the second year girls of the third year girls, but frankly, they made him uncomfortable. He could potentially ask his sisters, but he doubted they help with their own work to focus on. Asking his Senpai had seemed to be the best choice at the time.

"Senpai was so shocked he left..." Kise said miserably.

"What are you talking about?" Kise jumped with a small shriek. Whipping his head around to where the male was standing.

"S-s-senpai?!" The shorter male cocked his head.

"Yes?"

"W-what... I thought you left me!"

"I promised would try helping, didn't I?" The male said with a raised brow.

"But you..."

"I left to go get this. Here, for you."

Kise took the weighted object that had brightly colored feathers sticking out on one side.

"Um... Senpai? What is this?"

"A Chinese shuttlecock. I remembered seeing it in the storage room in the back of the library."

"A Chinese shuttlecock," Kise repeated slowly, inspecting the strange object. "And what am I supposed to do with this?"

"I figured you might learn better by moving around or being more active. I'll have you answer questions while you kick it around. I believe it is similar to how one keeps a soccer ball from touching the ground."

"Oh. It's like juggling a soccer ball. I haven't tried soccer yet, but..." Kise stood up. He had seen others do it. He tossed the shuttlecock getting the feel for the weight before tossing it. With ease, he hit it with the inside of his right foot. Less than a second later, Kise realized his mistake.

He had kicked it to hard perhaps, and the shuttlecock was more elastic than he thought it would have been.

The shuttlecock sailed back up and nailed him in the forehead.

The shuttlecock then fell to the floor in a flutter of feathers. Kise remained frozen, dreading the silence. He turned towards the other male only to see him turned away with a hand to his mouth.

"Senpai! It's not funny!" Kise said, covering his face in embarrassment. This had never happened to him before! He usually observed others for a while and adjusted his own movements to that... but this time there was no one to watch and he had misjudged how much the small object would rebound.

"Ah... Please forgive me. I didn't mean to offend you. It was your first time after all. Why don't you try again?"

Kise didn't feel any better. He was _used_ to getting it on the first time after all. Slowly, he retrieved the shuttlecock and started his second attempt. He easily got the hang of it after he kicked it up successfully once, developing an easy rhythm.

"That's quite impressive," the other male commented with a somewhat surprised look. "I heard doing is a difficult feat for beginners. Kise felt a sense of pride stir up in him. He caught the shuttlecock as it came up and offered it to to his senior.

"Are you any good, Senpai?" Kise asked. At the teen's disapproving frown, he quickly amended his statement. "I mean, um, would you like a try?"

The boy hesitantly took the shuttlecock into his pale hands.

"To be honest, I'm not very good at this kind of stuff..." The male tossed the the shuttlecock up and lifted his foot in order to meet it as it fell.

The teal head wasn't even able to make contact as his foot missed the shuttlecock by several inches. Kise was torn between shock an laughter.

"Pffft... Ahaha!" Laughter won over and Kise clutched the edge of the table to keep himself upright. "Sorry, Senpai. But that was just..."

Kise watched as the male scooped up the shuttlecock and tossed it at him. Kise caught it with ease before it hit him.

"Let me remind you that you have a test coming up." Kise immediately shut up. It was then he realized that his Senpai had brought another object.

"Senpai, is that..?"

"Hai. It's a toy hammer for kids," the teal head said, lightly tapping it on his palm and causing it to let out a squeak. "It's punishment. Now let's begin," the male stated as he picked up a few of Kise's papers as well as his history textbook. Kise began juggling the shuttlecock easily with one foot.

"Who were essentially the rulers over the country during the Edo Period?"

"...The emperor?"

The hammer let out another squeak as it connected with Kise's head and the shuttlecock fell due to his surprise.

"Wrong. The emperor was more of a figurehead than anything. The shoguns were the ones who held more power."

"Eh..."

...

"Didn't you ask this question before?" Kise asked as he kicked the shuttlecock over his head and behind him. He easily managed to bounce it back forward with a well timed kick backwards. The other male nodded.

"Repetition usually helps with memory. Now please concentrate. I've hit you over four dozen times now."

"But I don't get how this kicking this thing around is supposed to help me." Kise pouted. It got boring after he had gotten the hang over it.

"I believe if I had you sitting while doing this, you would be extremely restless, or worse, asleep."

Kise nervously chuckled.

"The Edo Period was a time of political stability and economic growth. Who founded it?" Kise perked up at this. He remembered this!

"Tokugawa Ieyasu, right?" Kise said eagerly. For the first time, his Senpai smiled warmly. A small smile, but a smile none the less.

"That is correct, Kise-kun."

"I got it right!" Kise said with genuine excitement. He felt both pride and another feeling he couldn't identify. Kise suddenly realized something and the shuttlecock fell to the ground. "Wait, Senpai..."

"?"

"Just now... You said 'Kise-kun', didn't you?"

"Yes. That is your name, correct? Unless you stole your books and worksheets from another person named Kise Ryouta." His senpai said as he displayed inside of the textbook that had his name boldly printed in it.

"How long have you known..?" Kise asked, bowing his head so that his bangs covered his eyes. It couldn't be that the male knew along, could it? No, no. Kise was starting to like this person. He liked the fact that the older male hadn't known his name or particularly cared.

"Since the first time I helped you study. It's a very nice name," the shorter male complimented, oblivious to Kise's internal struggle. "Though I did try refraining from using it."

"?" Kise looked up confused. Did his Senpai not recognize who he was?

"Because it seems now I will have to introduce myself as well. After all, it is common courtesy to exchange names, isn't it?" the male said with a smile playing on his lips. Kise's eyes widened as he recognized the words he had said a few days prior. The male placed down the textbook on the table, and extended his hand.

"Hello, Kise Ryouta. I am Kuroko Tetsuya."

"Kuroko... Tetsuya." Kise tested the name out. It had a nice ring to it. With a smile of his own, Kise enthusiastically clasped the male's hand and shook it.

"Well then, pleased to meet your acquaintance then... Kuroko-kun," Kise finished. He was almost tempted to add 'cchi' to the end of the male's name, but something held him back. He felt there was still something missing.

Kuroko looked amused causing Kise to raise a brow.

"Well, Kise-kun, that just now wasn't so bad."

"?" Kise was confused.

"That was probably the most honest smile I've seen since I've met you." Kise's eyes widened.

...

"Introductions aside, break's over. Let's continue."

"Eh?! That was a break?!" Kise said, startled.

"Test. Monday. I would also like to get home as I have a couple of quizzes coming up as well." Kuroko observed that Kise seemed to have the decency to look guilty.

"Sorry... Um, Kuroko-kun?"

"Yes?"

"There's one last thing I'd like to get off my mind... Do you recognize me?"

Kuroko didn't understand what he quite meant.

"As the despicable person who sat on me? Yes, I do."

"Senpai, that's harsh. That's not what I..."

"Then you will have to be more clear, Kise-kun. I do not understand what you are asking."

"Er... that is, um..." Kise was floundering for words.

"Do I recognize you from before you decided to attempt to kill me?" Kuroko offered.

"Kill is a harsh word... but yes?"

"Then no. Regrettably, that was the first time I met Kise-kun," Kuroko cocked her head. "Why? Should I have recognized you? I'm sorry but I don't quite remember meeting you before, and my memories of when I was younger are a bit unclear. Have we met before?"

Kise shook his head looking quite happy again.

"Nope! We've never met before at all!"

Kuroko was now very confused. He sincerely looked happy so it didn't seem like he was lying...

Had she met him before?

Kuroko furrowed her brows in thought. There was no way. She had been utterly alone and invisible until she had bet Shigehiro-kun. Was there someone before that? Before... before Father had started beating her... before mother had-

"Kuroko-kun? Are you okay?"

"Hm? I apologize I got distracted for a second. Let's continue," Kuroko swiftly said. Kise nodded.

As she started reciting questions to Kise again, Kuroko felt an uneasiness that she couldn't quite explain.

...

 _.=========._

 _From: Me_

 _To: Akashi Seijūrō_

 _Sent: 20:30_

 _Subject: Day 5 of Nationals_

 _Let me guess - Teiko won? Forgive me if I'm wrong._

.=========.

 _From:_ _Akashi Seijūrō_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 20:31_

 _Subject: Re: Day 5 of Nationals_

 _Well, you would guess right. I was just about to text you, though it seems you beat me to the punch. It's a shame about your sense of direction. You better make first string so you can come as well next year._

 _.=========._

Kuroko's lips twitched at Akashi's message. She began typing a message back, stumbling as her foot caught on the cracked part of the cement.

 _.=========._

 _From: Me_

 _To: Akashi Seijūrō_

 _Sent: 20:31_

 _Subject: Congratulations_

 _I can only try my best, though I also hope to join soon. Congratulations, to you, Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, and Haizaki-kun. For sure, Teiko is a strong school._

.=========.

Kuroko closed the phone shut with a snap, breathing in the night air. Helping Kise study had taken long as expected, but she was sure he would do fine on the test, on the grounds he didn't forget all overnight of course. She approached the gates of her house and she slowed down. She knew her father was not home, but her heart still raced nervously and her feet dragged on the path. She tried to steady her breaths. She unlocked the door and stepped into the dark building.

"Tadaima," she said quietly, closing the door behind her.

Empty silence greeted her.

* * *

 _Hey Kuroko!_

 _What's up! I heard that Teiko won. Damn they're strong. Meiko won't lose to you next year for sure! How's it going trying to get to first string? I know it must be tough, especially since your school is so tough, but I believe you can do it._

 _Don't try to rush anything though. We'll definitely fulfill that promise, whether if it's in junior high or in high school. I can't wait to see how much you've improved._

 _I made a friend in the basketball club. His name is Mochida, though I call him Mochi since that sounds better._

 _Ah, most importantly! So I don't forget, I finally got a phone!_

 _It took forever to convince Kaa-chan since she was convinced I would lose it somewhere._

 _My number is xx-xxxx-xxxx._

 _Call me as soon as you get this letter, alright? That way I can hear your lovely voice~_

 _Your best friend,_

 _Ogiwara Shigehiro_

...

 _.=========._

 _From: Me_

 _To: Ogiwara Shigehiro_

 _Sent: 22:17_

 _Subject: Kuroko_

 _I am glad you have finally gotten a phone. I never doubted Shigehiro-kun would fail to make friends either._

 _I'd rather communicate through text messages if that is fine._

.=========.

 _From: Ogiwara Shigehiro_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 22:18_

 _Subject: Hey!_

 _Kuroko! So my letter finally got to you, huh? Oi,_ _I said to call, didn't I?!_

 _But now we'll be able to talk everyday~_

 _That aside, I've been meaning to ask you something. You've managed to make some friends, right?_

.=========.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Ogiwara Shigehiro_

 _Sent: 22:18_

 _Subject: Ogiwara is Mean_

 _Are you implying that I am unlikable?_

 _.==========._

 _From: Ogiwara Shigehiro_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 22:21_

 _Subject: NO!_

 _You know that's not what I meant!_

 _But you're so quiet and other people have a hard time seeing you. You're super antisocial, I'm afraid you're holing yourself up in the library._

 _You can be really blunt and not a lot of people can appreciate it that! Sometimes you pop up out of nowhere and people think you're a ghost!_

 _What if you get lost and no one realizes you are lost until the end of the school year?! What if you trip and fall into a deep hole and nobody realizes it?!_

 _You're one of the best people I've ever met, but what happens if others don't realize it?_

.=========.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Ogiwara Shigehiro_

 _Sent: 22:23_

 _Subject: Re: NO!_

 _...I don't think there are deep holes randomly lying around Tokyo that I would fall into. And I cannot do anything about my presence. I am grateful Shigehiro-kun thinks so highly of me though._

 _.==========._

 _From: Ogiwara Shigehiro_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 22:24_

 _Subject: I'm coming back to Tokyo!_

 _You're not really denying anything there, Kuroko. I'll come and visit Tokyo again if I have to!_

 _Come on, nearly half of the school year has passed! Isn't there anyone in Teiko you can consider yourself close to?_

.=========.

* * *

 _.==========._

 _From: Kuroko Tetsuya_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 22:25_

 _Subject: Just stay where you are._

 _I never said I didn't have friends._

.=========.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Kuroko Tetsuya_

 _Sent: 22:26_

 _Subject: Re: Just stay where you are._

 _So... you do have friends._

.=========.

 _From: Kuroko Tetsuya_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 22:26_

 _Subject: ..._

 _A few, I guess._

.=========.

 _From: Me_

 _To: Kuroko Tetsuya_

 _Sent: 22:27_

 _Subject: I'm so proud!_

 _...I'm glad. I feel so proud my child was able to make friends on her own. My baby's all grown up now..._

 _And what's with that? Yours truly offered to go all the way to Tokyo and you just reject me like that? So cruel!_

.=========.

 _From: Kuroko Tetsuya_

 _To: Me_

 _Sent: 22:26_

 _Subject: Stop._

 _...I'm not a baby or a child. Much less yours._

 _There's no need for you to come to Tokyo to visit me._

 _The day we meet again face to face, will be on the court in the next tournament._

.=========.

Ogiwara grinned as he read the message. It was just like Kuroko to say something to get him all fired up.

But he was truly happy Kuroko had made friends. Kuroko rarely initiated a conversation with someone she didn't know and didn't take too much care to interact with strangers either. It seemed he had nothing to worry about though.

Ogiwara bit his lips as he remembered all the scratches and wounds that had covered her body as a result of her clumsiness, as she claimed. He had his doubts.

"Ahh... Well, she's in junior high now. There's no way she can still be so uncoordinated, right?" Ogiwara said to himself as he pulled the covers up to his chin.

* * *

"Seijūrō-kun, Midorima-kun." Kuroko greeted the following week. "It's been a while. Congratulations on your win in the Nationals."

"Tetsuya, it really has been a while. And thank you," Akashi replied as he took his seat next to her. Midorima adjusted his glasses.

"Kuroko," Midorima acknowledged. "It seems you are well."

"Well enough," Kuroko agreed.

"Did you miss us?" Akashi teased lightly.

"I'm not sure as I am acquainted well enough with the solitary lifestyle," Kuroko paused. "But I suppose I did miss the company."

"You suppose?" Akashi asked with a raised brow. The bell rang, which prompted Midorima to return to his seat and Akashi to face forward with a small smile playing on his lips. For Kuroko, life had just fallen back into a routine. Both her school life and her home life.

...

"Senpai!" Kise yelled as he dashed into the library Tuesday evening. "Ara? There's nobody..."

"I'm right here, Kise-kun." Kuroko said from behind the blonde boy. To his credit, the boy only flinched slightly before shoving some papers at Kuroko's face.

"Look, look! Senpai! Are you proud of me?" Kuroko twitched before firmly grasping the boy's shaking wrist.

"I cannot see if you do that, Kise-kun. Ah, isn't this..?"

"Yup. The Japanese History Test you helped me study for! And look! I got a 92!" Kise said proudly. Kuroko stared at him blankly.

"Only a 92?" Kise's smile dropped as he drooped forward.

"Senpai... so cruel!" Kise whined.

"I was just teasing, Kise-kun. You did very well," Kuroko complimented, patting the boy's head. Kise perked up slightly. "I had my doubts Kise-kun would make at least an 80."

Kise deflated once more.

"You surpassed my expectations," Kuroko said. Kise brightened again before pouting slightly.

"Senpai's just alternating between complimenting me and insulting me," Kise said with a huff. "I don't know how to feel."

"Feel proud of yourself for doing so well," Kuroko stated.

"Well, I have Senpai to thank... So I was thinking-" Kuroko whipped her head towards to him in surprise.

"Don't give me that look, Senpai! Jeesh... But, if you're willing... can you continue tutoring me?" Kise asked hopefully.

"Wait, what is that reaction supposed to mean?!" Kise exclaimed as Kuroko miserably held onto a nearby table for support.

"...Excuse me, I don't mean to come off as rude," Kuroko stated as she recovered. "It's just that I'm already tutoring two others, though they were both out for the entirety of last week, and just imagining trying to tutor all three of you together... Ah, that would be a disaster."

"Eh? There are two others? I'm sure we'll get along fine," Kise insisted. Kuroko shook her head.

"No. My instinct tells me that you will clash horribly. Those two don't get along with each other as it is."

"So no?" Kise said, disappointed.

"...I never said no," the teal head said, conflicted. It wasn't in her nature to turn away from somebody asking for assistance. "I suppose if Kise-kun is willing to come to school earlier in the mornings-"

"Deal!" Kise agreed easily.

"Huh?"

"I mean, you are supposed to help me since I got over an 80 anyways, right?" Kise said with a spark of a malicious gleam in his eye. Kuroko's eyes widened as she remembered her words from the previous week.

"Ah, I did say that," Kuroko admitted.

"Now I can see Senpai everyday~" Kise said happily.

"..." Now that she thought about it, this guy was still calling her Senpai. Should she say something about it?

"Aw, Senpai. You should be honored to see this Kouhai's beautiful face every morning. What better way is there to start a day than that?"

"..." She was tempted to rest her face in her hands. There were several ways she could think of that would be better than seeing the hyperactive blonde early in the morning. Why was she sacrificing sleep for this guy again?

"And I think I'm really starting to respect Senpai!"

"Starting to, huh?" Kuroko said dryly.

"Ah," Kise said, seeming to realize what he had said.

"Doesn't matter I guess. I'm done with everything I need to do today so I'm going to go ahead and leave."

"Eh? You're leaving? Let me go with you Senpai!" Kise said as he tried to put away his books and papers back in his bag. Kuroko took the opportunity to duck out of his line of view.

"Absolutely not. I will see you at eight o'clock tomorrow morning." Kuroko said as she slipped between the bookshelves and headed for the back exit.

"Uwa! Senpai, where'd you go?"

* * *

 **A/N: I wanted to bring Aomine in sometime soon... but as I went back and looked at their first meeting, there is still something else that must happen. I did promise lotusdate I was working on a one-shot that I would get out, but there's a lot of holes and it's not as smooth as I would have liked it to be, so I'm still editing that. It's over 10k words, so it's my longest piece yet, and the ending just makes me want to bang my head into the wall due to how incomplete it is (sorry). So I've settled with getting out this chapter first.**

 **And then there was yet _another_ piece that started off as a one-shot, but that one went _too_ well and ended up as a story idea. I didn't create a new story though since trying to keep up with multiple stories will just end up disastrous, so I'll just keep that until a later date.**

 **Thank you for everybody supporting this story. I really love reading everybody's thoughts on how it is going since it reassures me that it's not going too off track. Also thank you so much to lotusdate for all the research you gave me(also realizing how many times I'm mentioning that name). I'll be sure to slowly start incorporating background stories of the Kiseki.**

 **I also apologize since this came out later than I expected it too.**

 **Okay. I'm pretty sure I'm done confessing my sins. Though, I do feel like I'm forgetting something... Meh.**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


	7. The Moment of a First Experience

**Chapter 7:**

 _Hey Kuroko!_

 _I recently finally got my uniform. You read that read that right! Praise me!_

 _Technically I'm still on the bench though, and won't get to play in matches much. I want to work hard and become a starter. How're you doing, Kuroko?_

 _I heard Teikou's pretty strong, but if you work hard, I'm sure you can do it. I believe in you. Let's both meet on the court one day!_

 _-Ogiwara Shigehiro_

Kuroko carefully refolded the letter and placed it safe in the desk drawer with the rest of Ogiwara's letters. She paused as she closed it shut remembering something.

Shigehiro-kun had a phone now. Why didn't he send it by text?

He either forgotten he had a phone, or he had forgotten it somewhere and lost it, Kuroko decided. Either was perfectly plausible.

* * *

"Kuro-chin~" Murasakibara said, ruffling Kuroko's hair.

"Hello Murasakibara-kun. It's been a while." Kuroko said calmly. When Murasakibara didn't stop, she gently pushed his hand away. "Please stop."

"But Kuro-chin's hair is super soft," Murasakibara said with a pout.

"Are we going to work today or can I just leave?" Haizaki grouched.

"I apologize. We should start right away. Besides homework and assignments, do you have any questions?"

"Mhm. Ne, Kuro-chin? Want some candy?" Murasakibara said as he offered an already unwrapped hard candy.

"That's not the kind of question I was-!" Kuroko startled as Murasakibara shoved the candy into her mouth as she was talking. The sweet taste of strawberry permeated her mouth and she gave Murasakibara an annoyed look.

"It tastes good, right?"

"It does taste quite nice, but I would ask that Murasakibara-kun refrain from putting food in my mouth while I'm talking," Kuroko said blandly.

"So not a strawberry person," Murasakibara muttered under his breath. Kuroko sighed.

...

Murasakibara, of course, did not give up. He was quite persistent when he wanted to be, and finding out whether a person liked strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla was of utmost importance. So the next day, Murasakibara brought with him a chocolate bar.

"Well isn't this unusual?" Akashi said amused. "It's rare to see Murasakibara sharing his food."

"Seijūrō-kun," Kuroko greeted, ignoring Murasakibara's attempts of trying to push a piece the sweet into her mouth.

"Are? It's Aka-chin," Murasakibara said, briefly ceasing in his attempts.

"Do you not have student council duties today?" Kuroko asked as she moved some of the clutter on the table to one side so that Akashi might set down his stuff.

"We had the day off today," Akashi said with a pleased smirk. He took a seat next to Haizaki who scooted away with an irritated glare. "So decided to come and observe a session."

"I see... Murasakibara-kun, can't this wait until after this session?" Kuroko said as she tried to push away Murasakibara's insistent hand.

"No~" Murasakibara whined. "You can't trust somebody not knowing what kind of person they are," Murasakibara said petulantly.

"Personally, I prefer strawberry," Akashi commented, drawing an approving look from Murasakibara and a somewhat withering look from Kuroko.

"See Kuro-chin?"

"What about Haizaki-kun?" Kuroko asked, trying to weasel her way out of this.

"Eh. Don't like Zaki-chin, don't care about Zaki-chin," Mursakibara replied almost immediately.

Haizaki twitched.

"Yeah, I don't like you either you little sh-"

"Haizaki-kun, language," Kuroko said in exasperation.

"Does it really matter, Tetsuya?" Haizaki said lazily as he leaned back in his chair.

"Of course it matter, Haizaki-kun. Using such coarse language paints you in a bad light," Kuroko chided.

"Who cares?" Haizaki groaned.

"Much of society," Akashi pitched in helpfully.

"Why the hell are you even here, Akashi?" Haizaki said in a strained tone.

"As I said, I was free so I decided to look in on the study session until it's time for practice," Akashi said smoothly in response.

"I got it. Ne, Kuro-chin. You're staying late right?" Murasakibara said out of nowhere, interrupting the previous flow of conversation.

"After practice? I suppose I might," Kuroko said as she tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"

"There's fast food chain near here that has a good vanilla milkshake, and I think Kuro-chin is a vanilla person. Because Kuro-chin is kind of bland looking, but tastes really sweet and delicious when eaten," Murasakibara said as he licked his lips.

"?!" Three pairs of eyes swung towards him in alarm.

"Tastes- Eaten... what?" Kuroko said in a slightly pitched tone.

"Ah... I made a mistake," Murasakibara said as he looked away as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. This didn't reassure Kuroko in the least.

"Murasakibara, you shouldn't say things like that," Akashi scolded. "People might take it the wrong way."

"Kay~ Sorry 'bout that Kuro-chin," Murasakibara said as he patted Kuroko on the head. "So let's go together, okay?"

"Ah..." Kuroko said, still a bit unnerved. "It'll be quite late then..."

"You should take his offer. Murasakibara rarely goes this far for others. It's an honor," Akashi suggested. Kuroko almost sighed.

"Very well. I shall accept then, Murasakibara-kun. I just have to try this vanilla milkshake, and I will have tried all three flavors, yes?"

"Mm. Kuro-chin hasn't actually eaten the chocolate yet," Murasakibara said with a frown, still holding the now partially melted chocolate piece in his fingers. This time, Kuroko did sigh as she took the messy sweet from Murasakibara and reluctantly ate it.

"Tastes good?" Murasakibara asked expectantly.

"It's okay," Kuroko said dully.

"Definitely a vanilla person," Murasakibara said with a nod, seeming to have confirmed his theory.

"And what happens if it turns out I'm not much of a vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry person?" Kuroko asked offhandedly. She was startled by the sudden shift in the air as Murasakibara stared down at her menacingly.

" _ **Then you're not a person at all**_ ," Murasakibara said in a completely serious tone.

"?!" Kuroko's eyes widened, glancing at Akashi who only looked extremely entertained. Yet why did it feel like her life was on the line?

"You're fucked," Haizaki remarked with a grimace.

"Thank you for your bright observation, Haizaki-kun," Kuroko stated blankly. "It was truly helpful."

* * *

"You're finally here, Tetsuya," Akashi said as Kuroko approached the school gates.

"Yay, Kuro-chin is here. Let's go~"

"Seijūrō-kun is coming too?" Kuroko asked with a raised brow.

"Why not? My intuition tells me this will be quite fun." Akashi said, ignoring the vexed gaze of the smaller girl.

"I'm sure Kuro-chin will like it," Murasakibara reassured the smaller girl as they began walking towards the busier parts of the city.

"I'll defer to your judgement then since Mursakibara seems to be the expert in regards to foodstuff."

Murasakibara looked quite pleased by this statement.

"I've tried lots of different foods so I know what's good and bad. The milkshakes here are super good~"

Akashi almost chuckled as the girl stiffened at the reminder of her imminent fate.

"Right... Is Mursakibara-kun also good at cooking?"

"Mm. I'm okay. I'm really good at making sweets though so I like making cakes and deserts."

"What kind of deserts?" Kuroko asked, prompting Murasakibara to launch into a speech about sweets and pastries from all different countries. Akashi watched silently as Kuroko listened patiently to Murasakibara's rant, making occasional comments or questions on some bits, indicating that she was paying attention to him. Akashi could see that Murasakibara also unconsciously noticed this as well if his body language meant anything. His large frame was slightly turned towards the small girl and he was looking towards her and not forward into the distance as he usually did. His usual disinterested tone was much more lively and engaged.

Akashi smiled. It seemed she got along with Murasakibara well enough.

"Eh, we're here," Murasakibara said as he pointed to the orange building across the street.

"Maji... Burger?" Kuroko read.

"Yep. The burgers and fries aren't bad either," Murasakibara said as they crossed the street.

"And here I will meet my fate," Kuroko said solemnly.

"What occurs here will change the course of your life," Akashi said in mock serious tone.

"For the better of for the worse," Kuroko agreed. They walked into the fast food joint and Murasakibara generously agreed to get the food while Kuroko and Akashi grabbed a table.

"Murasakibara treating; this is probably something we'll never see again," Akashi said as they slid into a booth.

"Does Murasakibara-kun not usually do this?"

"No, he doesn't. He does ask people which flavor they prefer, but he hasn't gone as far as this before," Akashi said as he stared at the giant ordering. "Then again, every other person had a preference when asked. I've never heard of a person who hasn't tried any three of those flavors either."

"I've live the quiet, secluded life."

"I think that is quite obvious. It's still amazing you haven't even happened to come across any sweets with these flavors by accident."

"They don't usually have those flavors," Kuroko protested.

"So you've tried other flavors such as?"

"...Orange and watermelon, I guess?"

"How strange."

"I'm back~" Murasakibara said as he set the tray down on the table. There were at least two sundaes and several glasses of ice cream.

"That's... a lot of food there," Akashi said, blinking a couple of times, but taking it into stride.

"It's dinner," Murasakibara replied. "Aka-chin and Kuro-chin can try some if they want."

"I'll pass," Kuroko and Akashi said at almost the same time. Murasakibara shrugged, muttering 'more for me' as he started scooped up some of the ice cream that had been drizzled in chocolate.

"Oh, and here you go," Murasakibara said as he handed Kuroko a small tumbler. Akashi observed as Kuroko took the blue cup into her hands and stared down at with a conflicted face. "Try Kuro-chin~"

Kuroko closed her eyes and took several breaths. Finally, her lips closed around the plastic straw. Both Murasakibara and Akashi waited in anticipation as she began sucking at the straw.

Both could tell the moment the white liquid had finally reached her mouth as her face morphed into one of surprise, then fascination, happiness, and then into pure bliss.

"I knew Kuro-chin would like it," Murasakibara said with a tone of self-satisfaction as he started on his own food.

Akashi was tempted to snap a picture of Kuroko's half-lidded gaze as she continued to drink up the cold desert.

"Is it good, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked with a small smile. He went ignored as Kuroko was lost in her own world. Laughing silently to himself, Akashi did pull out his phone to snap a quick photo of Kuroko's first experience with a vanilla shake. He had no doubt this would come to use later on.

...

Happiness isn't simple. Happiness always comes at a cost. That was something she had firmly come to believe in.

"Chichiue..." Kuroko said quietly, the excitement of the pure liquid heaven disappearing in an instant.

"And I suppose you have an explanation for why you are late?" The man asked with deadly calmness, closing the book on his lap. Kuroko bit her lip.

'I was out with friends'... How could she say that? She had once told her father a similar statement in regards to Shigehiro-kun. Regardless to say it did not go over well.

"I-I was..."

"Can you not answer?" Her father asked coldly. Kuroko flinched. "Be clear, Tetsuya. Were you playing with boys again?"

"No! We just went to get-" Kuroko narrowly dodged the book thrown her way. The book hit the wall before falling to the floor in a clutter.

Kuroko Munashi let out a large breath, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"Tetsuya. _Tetsuya_. Why can't you just be a good little girl and listen? Why must you be as rebellious as your stupid mother?"

"..."

"An almost exact replica of that whore..." Munashi's eyes closed. Kuroko stared intently at her feet. She knew the simmering anger that lingered underneath the man's facade whenever he saw her. "You are excused for today. I just can't stand to look at your face any longer today."

Kuroko bowed her head before quietly making her way to her room.

"If I ever catch you going behind my back," Kuroko froze. "I assure you, you will wish you were dead instead."

"...Understood," Kuroko said as she pushed down all her instincts that told her to flee.

Once she reached her room, she gently placed her bag on the floor before collapsing in her bed.

Mother.

"If Hahaue loved me, she would not have left me here..." Kuroko said to no one. "No. Hahaue loved me. A mother will always love her child no matter what. Right?"

* * *

"I presume your studies are going well?"

"Hai, Tou-san," Akashi stated.

"Good. I expect nothing less. In the upcoming midterms, I expect you take the top spot."

"Hai," Akashi said, barely a change in his expression. There was a brief lull in the conversation as the elder Akashi sipped his tea.

"How about club activities? I heard the basketball club at Teiko won at the Nationals again."

"Hai. The team is strong."

"Then I have no complaints. What about acquaintances? You understand connections are important as you enter the business world."

"Hai, Tou-san," Akashi said, so badly wanting to protest that he didn't _want_ to go into business. "I have become well acquainted to Midorima Shintaro, as well as Murasakibara Atsushi." Akashi reported dutifully.

"Midorima and Murasakibara..." The man nodded in approval. The Midorima ran several hospitals across Japan and the Murasakibara were in charge of company in charge of selling electronics.

"Good. Also, your teacher has told me that she signed you up for a violin competition. Make sure you work hard and win."

"Hai... Tou-san." Akashi replied. He closed his eyes. He was just so _tired_.

* * *

"You two look exhausted, not that I care or anything," Midorima said as the bell rang for lunch. In his right hand was his bento, and in his left hand, a light bulb.

"I just slept late last night," Kuroko said while packing away her notes.

"I also lost some sleep last night as well." Akashi picked up his bento. "I have an upcoming music competition coming up so I must be prepared for it. I won't be able to make it after practice either, Tetsuya."

"That is fine. I don't want to inconvenience Seijūrō-kun. I wasn't aware Seijūrō-kun played an instrument along with sports. Which instrument do you play?"

"The violin as well as the piano, though the upcoming competition calls for me to play the violin." Akashi said.

"This is a case of what you call... ikemen, right?" Kuroko asked Midorima.

"I believe so. To think that you were also invested in the musical arts," Midorima said, shifting his glasses.

"I wouldn't mind an audience if you want to listen in." Akashi offered as he stood up.

Midorima and Kuroko exchanged confused looks.

...

"I've never been to this part of the school before," Kuroko admitted as she gazed around the room with wonder. There was a piano in the corner, several cellos on a rack, and chairs stacked to the side. There were containers of miscellaneous musical instruments also organized in a long shelf. About half a dozen guitars also were resting in their stands, ready for use. The chalkboard had lines of music sketched onto it with several notes. There was xylophone as well as many other instruments arranged nearly along the walls.

"Not too many people actually come by since most are interested more in athletics," Akashi said as he walked out from a side room with a dark black case in hand. "I myself am not part of the music program, though I have permission to borrow the instruments when needed."

Akashi unlocked the case to reveal a sleek violin that looked to be in a fairly good condition as well as a bow which he began tightening. Kuroko and Midorima watched in interest as he began tuning before warming up. It was obvious that he was quite skilled by the smooth notes of the scale.

"The look somehow suits Seijūrō-kun," Kuroko said as she observed Akashi's expression. "I don't find it too difficult to imagine Seijūrō-kun playing the piano as well.

"Indeed," Midorima agreed. They feel silent as Akashi stopped and took a breath.

The first note echoed clearly in the large music room. Akashi's fingers danced across the higher tones before dropping to play the rich low notes. The piece wasn't particularly fast, but it was still impressive none the less. Midorima and Kuroko were snapped out of their trance when they realized Akashi had stopped playing.

"That's the first bit of Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108." Akashi said as he set the violin back in its case.

"That..." Midorima said.

"That was amazing, Seijūrō-kun. It's the first time I've heard someone play the violin, but I can tell Seijūrō-kun is extremely good. It was a moving performance," Kuroko praised.

"Thank you both," Akashi said with a warm smile as he carefully loosened the bow and secured it into the top of the case. He closed it and returned it back to its place.

"We still have a lot of time left, so why don't we eat our lunch here?" Akashi suggested as he came back out of the storage room.

"Is that alright?" Kuroko asked.

"There shouldn't be any complaints if we don't leave a mess behind," Midorima said as he pulled down some chairs for them to use.

"The performance was truly impressive," Midorima finally admitted as they were eating.

"Arigato. I still have ways to go though compared to many others," Akashi said humbly as he dropped a shrimp into Kuroko's bento. Kuroko just as casually plucked up the shrimp with her own chopsticks and dropped it into Midorima's bento.

"Oi, Kuroko," Midorima said.

"Tetsuya," Akashi said with a false smile.

"Seijūrō-kun," Kuroko returned. "Really, I appreciate it, but it's too much for me."

"Must you two always do this?" Midorima asked in exasperation.

"This wouldn't be a problem if Tetsuya ate as much as normal teens our age."  
"This wouldn't be a problem if Seijūrō-kun didn't insist on forcefully feeding me."

Akashi and Kuroko whipped their heads towards each other in irritation.

"I have no idea what you guys said," Midorima declared as he picked up the piece of shrimp, "but someone is going to have to give in here." Midorima popped the shirmp into his mouth while the other two began sizing each other up.

"Tetsuya-"

"Seijūrō-kun-"

"- _ **Give up**_." They both said simultaneously. Midorima sighed. Cancer being the 4th luckiest must have counted for something as the sound of something harshly rebounding off the window was heard, preventing any further argument. Kuroko's bento box nearly fell off her lap in her surprise. Midorima set down his lunch to the side as he stomped to the window and looked out.

It was easy to spot the culprit as a group of boys on the nearby soccer field were glancing up guiltily.

"Tch. They're lucky the glass didn't break," Midorima muttered. Kuroko came up next to Midorima, curious as to what the sound had been.

"A soccer ball?" Kuroko mused. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Teikou had sports other than basketball. A flash of grey caught her eye and her eyes zeroed in on Haizaki who was walking with his arms around a girl.

"Isn't that Haizaki?" Akashi said abruptly from next to Kuroko. Kuroko flinched back, and landed unsteadily on the piano bench. Her arm flew out to stabilize herself, resulting in a cacophony of sound as her arm landed on the keyboard of the piano.

"...Seijūrō-kun shouldn't scare people like that."

"Should that really be something you of all people should be saying?!" Midorima demanded in outrage.

"Perhaps not," Kuroko conceded as she gingerly removed herself from the piano. Kuroko paused before curiously pressing a key near the center of the keyboard.

"That would be-" Akashi started.

"Middle C," Kuroko finished in a soft voice. She pressed a few more keys much to Akashi and Midorima's confusion. "This seems strangely familiar, though I have no remember of touching a piano before."

"It could be that you learned in primary school," Akashi suggested. Kuroko closed her eyes briefly before nodding.

"Yeah... That must be it." Kuroko said as she brushed some of her bangs back. "I suppose I must have retained some information from primary school."

"If you guys are done, then we should probably finish our lunch." Midorima reminded them.

"Ah, that's right," Kuroko said, breaking out of her reverie. She glanced at the clock. "We have ten minutes left. We should hurry if we want to make it to the classroom on time."

"Agreed."

They quickly finished their lunch and hurried back to the classroom.

The green leaves just tinged in shades of red and yellow fluttered with the breeze, brushing against the windows of the music room.

* * *

"Dai-chan! Where are you going?" Momoi said as she caught Aomine exiting the gym with a basketball in hand.

"The gym's crowded. I'm gonna go use the third string gym since their practice should have already ended over an hour ago."

"Wait, Dai-chan!" Momoi said, causing Aomine to turn a bit irritably. "Haven't you heard?"

"Huh?"

"There's a rumor going around recently... that a ghost has been showing up around there!" Momoi said with a nervous expression.

"...Hah?" Aomine said. "Quit joking around, Satsuki."

"I'm telling you it's true! They say after practice ends and there aren't any people, you can hear the sound of a ball in the third string gymnasium-"

"That's stupid! There's no way something like that can be true!" Aomine scoffed as he began walking towards the direction of the supposedly haunted gym with a basketball spinning on his index finger.

"Wait! Dai-cha... Aomine-kun!" Momoi shouted.

"Geez, there's no ghost that plays basketball. Even if there is, I'll go ask it to play one-on-one with me." Aomine said lazily. Of course he didn't believe there actually was a ghost.

Momoi was tempted to run after her stupid childhood friend. However, the weight of the load in her arms reminded her that she needed to return the towels to the first string gymnasium.

"Mou..!" Momoi stomped her foot and pouted. "Stupid Dai-chan! He can't say I didn't warn him."

"'Sup!" Aomine said as he entered the third string gym. Only half of the lights were on and it was eerily... empty. Aomine's body stiffened before breaking into violent shivers.

' _Ehhh?! For real?! There's really a ghost that plays basketball?!_ ' Aomine panicked in his mind. He started backing away slowly. ' _No, there must have been someone practicing here earlier and they just finished... But I heard the sound right before I opened the door..._ '

"Ano..." Aomine felt his soul leave him as he heard voice from behind him. He shrieked before crouching and covering his head.

"I'm sorry for the sins I have committed! Oh Gods and Goddesses! Dispel Evil! Dear Heavenly Father, forgive my sins-" Aomine chanted to himself.

"...Aomine-kun?" Aomine ceased shaking at the sound of his name and gathered the courage to look behind him.

...

Kuroko had been startled when the door to the gymnasium had suddenly opened. It had happened quite a few times before, but the people had run away screaming shortly after about a ghost. Nobody came since the third person had fled. Kuroko went to pick up the ball as a voice cut across the gym.

"'Sup!" Kuroko turned around curiously to look at the newcomer. She cocked her head when the tall male started backing away while shaking. Was he alright?

She approached him.

"Ano..." Kuroko was once again surprised as the male froze before curling into a ball and started chanting some nonsense about evil and gods.

"Oh?" Kuroko said as she got a closer look at the trembling teen before her. "Aomine-kun?"

At the sound of his name, the boy stopped shaking, and slowly turned his head to look at her.

...

 _The second time we met was after we had enrolled into Teikou Middle School, on the first day of Autumn._

...

* * *

 **Omake:**

"Maji... Burger?" Kuroko read.

"Yep. The burgers and fries aren't bad either," Murasakibara said as they crossed the street.

"And here I will meet my fate," Kuroko said solemnly.

"What occurs here will change the course of your life," Akashi said in mock serious tone.

"For the better of for the worse," Kuroko agreed.

 ** _-413 seconds later-_**

"Aka-chin, Kuro-chin is sparkling," Mursakibara commented.

"This must be the happiest I've ever seen Tetsuya," Akashi added, snapping multiple pictures.

"I knew Kuro-chin was a vanilla person. Ne, Aka-chin. Send me those pictures later."

"Any particular reason for them, Murasakibara?"

"Kuro-chin looks delicious~"

"..."

"Whoops. I did it again."

* * *

 **A/N: Cliffhanger~ I said I would bring Aomine in by next chapter, and in the chapter he is. Ignoring all that, for those who don't know, the author of Kuroko no Basket has started another manga called Robot x Laserbeam. I finally found it yesterday and, kill me, it was so good. And this is someone who knows nothing about golf. I can rant about this some more, but I already wrote a one-shot on it.** **I also realized I said I would write a one-shot to somebody about the Kiseki apologizing the Kuroko, but I might have to post that into the far future. I don't think I'll be able to upload the next chapter within a week.**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


	8. Stand on the Same Court

**Chapter 8:**

"Aomine-kun?" Aomine peeked over his shoulder. After a few moments, Kuroko saw the recognition dawn in his eyes.

"...Huh? Hey, aren't you..?"

"It's Kuroko Tetsuya. It's a surprise seeing you here, Aomine-kun."

"Yeah, Tetsu. Man, I haven't seen you since- Wait a second! I'm the one that's surprised!" Aomine said, straightening up from his embarrassing display. "Since when were you here?!"

"Since before Aomine-kun came in," Kuroko said bluntly.

"What were you doing?!" Wasn't it obvious?

"Practicing," Kuroko said as she lifted the basketball in his arms.

"Seriously?! Dude, you've got no presence at all!" Ah, if she had a yen for every time she heard that...

"So I've been told."

"Man..." Aomine said, scratching the back of his head. "You scared the life out of me." He walked towards the restricted zone and sprawled on the floor.

"I apologize." Kuroko said as she took a seat in front of him neatly with the basketball Aomine had dropped tucked in her arms. "So what brings Aomine to the third string gym?"

"Ah? Well the first string gym is crowded so I came here. I didn't really expect anybody to be here, though. I didn't know you were in the basketball club."

"Hai. I'm not very good though so I stay after to practice a bit more. However, I'm hard to notice, as you've probably realized, so I'm afraid I might have scared many others away."

"...Pffft. Aha ha. So you're telling me that you have so little presence that nobody ever notices you there? That's amazing," Aomine said as he broke out into laughter. Pure, honest laughter.

"Aomine-kun, you're laughing too much," she said, feeling a bit offended after he kept laughing.

"Sorry, my bad." Aomine calmed down. "You must really like basketball, huh?"

"...I'm not good at it at all. I'm in the third string. I wouldn't be able to compare with Aomine-kun."

"That's not what I'm talking about. Anyways, it doesn't matter whether you're first or third string. You love basketball so much that you stay behind to practice every night right?" Kuroko self-consciously pulled her feet closer in an attempt to cover her scuffed up shoes. "No one who loves basketball is a bad guy. That's my pet theory." Aomine said proudly. Kuroko smiled.

"That's a strange pet theory."

"Nani?" Aomine said defensively.

"And I'm not sure I can say that I 'love' basketball," Kuroko said as she stood up and bounced the ball a few times. She gripped the ball firmly. "It's just that... it's something that saved me." Kuroko aimed and shot the ball towards the hoop. She wasn't too shocked when it hit the rim and bounced away.

"...You know you missed."

"I'm aware," Kuroko replied shortly.

"Aw, come on. You said something really serious there, but missed the shot!" Aomine said with a chuckle as he stood up an retrieved the ball. "How can you miss an unguarded shot from there?" Aomine said as he easily shot it in from his position. Aomine suddenly turned to him with an eager expression.

"Hey, Tetsu. Play a one-on-one with me."

"Eh?"

"It'll be fun!" Aomine said as he passed the ball to Kuroko and jogged towards the center.

"Is it really okay if I play with you?" Kuroko hesitated, as she also made her way towards the center of the court.

"Yeah. Anytime is fine."

"I see." Kuroko said as she got into position. "Please prepare yourself then."

"I will," Aomine said with a confident grin. He looked quite excited, Kuroko observed. She bounced the ball with her right hand, observing the taller boy's form. She took a deep breath before making a drive to Aomine's right. She passed with no retaliation from the boy, but she only made it a couple of steps before the ball bumped against her left knee. She froze mid stance as the ball rolled away. She fell to one knee.

"Itai..."

"What's with that?" Aomine demanded, having already been ready to hit the ball out of the other teen's hands. "You told me to prepare myself, so I was thinking that you would be pretty awesome!"

"What are you saying? I'm in the third string." Kuroko stated as she went to retrieve the ball.

"Heh?"

"I'm still inexperienced, so please prepare yourself, is what I meant."

"...You really are unusual," Aomine finally said, looking a bit disappointed.

"I'm really no good, aren't I?" Kuroko said with a sheepish smile. Aomine looked away, rubbing his head. He seemed to have made his decision as he moved towards the basket.

"Here," Aomine said, gesturing for Kuroko to throw the ball to him. Kuroko felt relieved as she tossed the ball to the tan male.

This time, she stood on defense as the male bounced the ball. Aomine inhaled, and Kuroko was instantly on full alert. Aomine leaned towards his right, but a look at his left foot had Kuroko moving with him towards her right. She noticed his legs, however, showed no indication of following through to her right. She immediately moved to block to her left, gaining a briefly shocked look from Aomine.

Still, Aomine easily spun around her by tossing the ball over her and dribbling it towards the net. She looked up just in time to see one of the smoothest layups she had ever seen. Her eyes widened in admiration at his form and the height of his jump that made it easy for him to toss the ball in. His play was something she had dreamed of doing. Aomine landed gracefully.

"You, just now you-" Aomine started.

"Were amazing."

"What?"

"You were amazing. Aomine-kun, would you mind doing that again?" Kuroko asked. Aomine looked surprised, but returned her small smile back two-fold.

"Sure!"

...

Quite frankly, Kuroko Tetsuya sucked at basketball; he was below average. He couldn't shoot, dribble, or even drive. But the earnest gleam in the boy's eyes as he played prevented Aomine from feeling the irritation he might have usually felt. The boy might even like basketball more than him.

The boy tried his best no doubt; he was staying long after the rest of the third string had left. That was something Aomine couldn't help but admire. Not even the people from the first string went that far.

"I will be taking the keys back to the staff room, so I will excuse myself here," the smaller boy with a small bow. "Thank you for you hard work."

"Un. Ja na!" Aomine waved at the boy, heading back towards the first string gym. When he glanced back, the boy was gone, sending chills down his spine.

"What a weird guy." Satsuki had already probably left, Aomine thought as he gathered his things. Perhaps he would drop by a fast food place to grab a quick bite.

Which was why about half an hour later, he exited Maji Burger with a drink and two bags of burgers for take out. Aomine winced as he struggled to open the door with his body finally experiencing the effects of Teikou's rigorous training compounded with the extra practice he had done. The weight of the door was suddenly relieved as someone behind him held the door.

"Oh, thank you- Whoa!" Aomine jumped away, nearly dropping his drink, as he was met with the sudden presence of the guy he had been practicing with not long ago.

"Domo. We meet again," the boy said softly with a nod of his head.

"You-! Why are you here?" Aomine asked.

"I like it... the vanilla milkshakes from here," the boy said as he held up his cup before taking a sip of it. Was it just him, or did the pale teen look happier than usual? And was that the only thing he was going to eat? Jeesh, the boy already looked pretty thin...

"Heh..." Aomine opened one of the paper bags and fished out a burger. "Here you go," Aomine said as he tossed it to Kuroko. The boy looked confused, and Aomine simply grinned. "You won't be full with just that, right? I'll give you one. I'd say you deserve it."

Kuroko hesitated, looking a bit lost. "Thank you... very much."

"No problem," Aomine said as he began walking. "Do you live around here?"

"Hai."

"Then let's head home together."

"Huh? But... I don't think it's safe to walk with both hands carrying something," Kuroko said, eyes switching between the food in his hand. Aomine felt an inkling of dread.

"Could you be... on of those careful types?" Aomine asked flatly.

"If I was careful, I probably wouldn't get into half the trouble I did. I'm quite clumsy. Believe me, Aomine-kun. If I walk around with both hands occupied, I might actually end up in a major accident," Kuroko said with the expression of an experienced veteran. For some reason, Aomine believed him

"Well then, there's a small park near that we can stop for a while by," Aomine said. It beat carrying all the food home, and it wouldn't be bad to have some company.

"Then lead the way, Aomine-kun." The boy said. So Aomine awkwardly led the boy to the nearby park. It was completely empty. Aomine took a seat on a large purple dinosaur designed for kids to climb while Kuroko chose to sit on a smaller blue one just below Aomine.

"So you're practicing everyday since you're aiming for a raise to the second string, right?"

"Hai. I wanted to improve, even if it was by a small amount."

"Eh, you're pretty amazing. There isn't anyone like you that goes so far in the first string." Aomine said as he took a bite of his unwrapped burger.

"Well, those in first string are already _in_ first string. And seeing Aomine, I understand I have a long ways to go. It doesn't seem like I could reach the first string at all."

Aomine crumbled the orange wrapper, unsure as whether to speak or not. From what Aomine had seen before, it's not like the boy didn't have potential...

"Hey. You know, when I was on offence during our first one-on-one, why weren't you fooled? I think that my fake should have fooled you." ' _And most of the first stringers,_ ' Aomine added in his head. Kuroko's brow furrowed slightly as he tried to recall.

"That was... I just thought that you were going to try for a fake, I think."

"What?"

"I'm not quite sure why, but it was a lucky guess," Kuroko said as he took a small bite of the burger.

"Eh?" Aomine managed to get out. Did the boy really not realize what he was doing? That hadn't just been a lucky guess. Kuroko looked like he had been reading his movements afterwards too. Well, it was pointless since his speed was slow... Nevertheless, Aomine felt a grin break across his face.

"That's it. I've made up my mind."

"Huh?"

"I'll practice with you everyday from now on. Let's stand on the same court some day!"

"Eh? Is that really okay?"

"Baka. I told you before, didn't I? Nobody who plays basketball can be a bad guy."

"..."

"Here," Aomine said as he leaned closer and thrust his fist forward, causing the pale boy to flinch.

"Um... this is?" The boy asked helplessly, gaze flitting between Aomine and the extended hand.

"Eh? You don't know? You really are a weird one, aren't ya? It's a fist bump. It's kind of like a high five, though it's also a gesture of respect I suppose."

"Ah, I see." The boy extended his own fist shyly and lightly bumped it against his own. "Like this?"

"Yeah," Aomine grinned. "Like that. Don't you forget it now," Aomine said as he leaned back.

"Hai." The boy quietly sipped on his milkshake while Aomine started on another burger. "Aomine-kun is a pretty nice person."

"Huh?" Aomine asked, confused.

"No. It's nothing. It's just that junior high is a lot different from primary school."

"Well of course it is," Aomine snorted. "It's a helluva lot more annoying then primary school. They give a lot more homework, too. How do they expect me do finish it and still be able to play basketball?" Aomine groaned.

"Aomine-kun really is a basket-baka."

"Oi!"

* * *

"Kuroko-kun," Kise said as he shook the slumbering boy awake. "I'm here."

"Hm?" The boy opened his bleary eyes. "I apologize, Kise-kun. I'm a bit tired today." Kise's classroom, 1-C, had become their designated meeting place for tutoring sessions. However, at the rate his fans were catching on, they would have probably have to move the location.

"No, it's fine. I'm happy that you're helping in the first place." Kise said as he sat backwards in the chair in front of Kuroko's. He pulled out a workbook and handed it over to her.

"I finished the English drills, but I had trouble writing the sentences at the end." Kuroko nodded.

"I'll check it then," the smaller teen said as he took the workbook. Kise allowed himself to relax as he let out a large yawn.

"Why do we even need to learn English? Japanese is hard enough as it is -ssu..."

"You never know when it could come in handy," Kuroko replied as his eyes scanned the page. "The sentences are quite simple. As expected from a simple-minded person like Kise-kun."

"Senpai!" Kise whined.

"But they are all miraculously correct. In the future though, you might want to try expanding your vocabulary as well as the types of sentences you use."

"Hai," Kise said reluctantly. "I'm surprised Senpai's so good at English. Even your pronunciation is better than the teacher's. Are you half? Or maybe you lived overseas at some point?"

Kuroko set down the book with pursed lips. "I have not left Japan to my knowledge. I do have some books in English at home, so maybe it was because I had early exposure to it?"

"Aw, come on, Senpai! You can't tell me having some books in English at home made you this good! Tell me your secret~" Kise said with a sly smirk, leaning towards the other male.

"I'm not sure what to tell you, Kise-kun. English just came to me pretty easily." Kise pouted as with these words, the teal head pushed his face away. "Perhaps the problem lies not with me, but with Kise-kun."

"Senpai!" Kise cried. "Hidoi -ssu!"

"But Kise-kun is extraordinarily talented, so I'm sure he'll eventually get it."

Kise brightened. "Senpai!" Kise said tearfully as he tried hugging the male. Kuroko's face twisted into distaste at his action and doubled his efforts in trying to push him back. However, Kise's arms were longer, so he had a grip on the smaller male's shoulders.

"Kise-kun. I'll give you five seconds to cease your ridiculous attempts. After that, I can't guarantee that I might accidentally ruin that face you're so proud of."

"Uwa!" Kise said as he stopped immediately. "Don't hit me, Senpai!"

"I'm not going to hit you!" Kuroko said, sharply. "But if I suddenly pushed too hard, I was afraid Kise-kun might hit his head on the desk and bruise it."

"Then why won't you let me hug you?" Kise whined. "Other girls would kill for the chance!" Kise was met with the most deadpan stare he had ever seen thus far.

"If you say so, Kise-kun. I think I'll be leaving early then today." Kuroko said as he picked up his bag and stood up.

"Eh? Already? Won't you stay for a while?" Kise said, just as the door slid shut. "So fast!"

Internally, Kise was quite satisfied. His Senpai's avoidance of physical affection was so cute and enjoyable. He hummed cheerfully as he rested his head on his hand and stared at the window.

* * *

During lunch that day, the three had all opted to get school lunch before heading to the music room again. Which was how they crossed paths with a familiar figure.

"Ara? It's Aka-chin and Mido-chin," Murasakibara said with a bag of chips in hand.

"Murasakibara," Akashi and Midorima both said.

"Murasakibara-kun," Kuroko greeted. Murasakibara's eyes widened as he dropped his bag of snacks.

"Ah, Kuro-chin. I didn't see you there," Murasakibara said as he calmly picked up his food. Luckily, none of the chips had fallen out. "Where are you all heading?"

"Lunch room then the music room," Midorima answered, looking slightly disgusted as Murasakibara licked the crumbs off his fingers.

"Eh? Can I come to Aka-chin?"

"Of course you can come," Akashi said kindly. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Yay~" Murasakibara cheered. Midorima sighed as they all headed to the lunch room where they garnered several stares. Another strange one added to their growing group strange people.

"Murasakibara, you should eat healthier," Akashi chided as he caught what Murasakibara had gotten.

"Eh?"

"That's right, Murasakibara-kun. You can't just eat desserts. The food here isn't bad so please get some healthier food items." Kuroko added.

"Hai~" Murasakibara said reluctantly as he traded out his strawberry tarts for rice and other side dishes. Once they had finished, they all escaped the cafeteria with trays in hand. Though trays were usually supposed to stay in the lunch room, there was no one to say differently to them.

"Why are we here?" Murasakibara asked confused as he ducked under the doorway.

"Akashi-kun has an upcoming competition he's practicing for." Kuroko said as she and Midorima unstacked some of the chairs for them to use.

"Mk," Murasakibara said as he fell into a seat. "Eh? Kuro-chin, is that all you're eating?"

Midorima groaned as Kuroko stiffened and Akashi stopped mid walk on his way to the storage room.

"Tetsuya..."

"This is enough for me, Akashi-kun. Please do not mind me and continue on your way."

"Now, Tetsuya. You know you won't grow at that rate."

"Akashi-kun's eating more than me and he's not growing much either."

"Tetsuya, stop bringing up my height." Akashi said with a strained smile.

"Then don't bring up my height," Kuroko huffed.

"If you want to grow, you should just eat lots of snacks," said Murasakibara who had already finished half of his lunch. Midorima closed his eyes, taking deep breathes and squeezing his lucky item (a stress ball). "That's how I got super tall~"

"I do not think your growth was because of how much snacks you ate," Akashi said.

"It's probably because of good genes," Kuroko grumbled.

...

Kuroko wiped the sweat on her brow as the coach dismissed the third string. It was a lot easier to keep up with practices now. Slowly, the people trickled out of the gym until it was her alone. She retrieved the cart of basketballs and began practicing shooting. She frowned as all the balls she shot bounced off the rim.

"Hey," Kuroko whipped around to see Aomine at the doorway, his gaze searching.

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko said hesitantly. The boy jumped.

"Dear lord, Tetsu. You've got to stop doing that," Aomine said as he held a hand to his chest. "One day you'll give somebody a heart attack."

"It's not like I do it on purpose," Kuroko murmured.

"Eh... maybe do something to make yourself noticeable?" Aomine suggested as he scooped up a basketball and began dribbling it.

"And how would you suggest I do that? My hair isn't exactly normal and I'm still unnoticeable."

"Maybe you could wear neon?" Aomine shot the basketball and it went in perfectly.

"School dress code, remember? And I don't particularly like such loud colors."

"I don't know then... Maybe you could carry around a flashing sign?" Kuroko shot him a dry look.

"Eh... Ah! How about being more out there?"

"Out there?"

"You know, like if you talk more, be more emotional! You..." Aomine pointed at Kuroko, "You've got the default expression of dead fish!"

Kuroko was stunned. "D-dead... fish?" She said weakly.

"Oh, shit. Well, I didn't mean it like that but... How to say it? You don't stand out very much."

"..." Kuroko turned this over in her mind. "That's fine. I don't strive to be recognized nor do I want to be."

"Hey..."

"To stand out is to be seen and recognized by everyone. Both seem very troublesome."

"You're antisocial and negative, aren't you?" Aomine said after a short while, with an indescribable look on his face.

"I don't consider myself so."

"Eh?"

"I do communicate with others, though they are not many in number. And I think I have a somewhat positive outlook on life seeing as I've come this far."

Aomine stared before letting out a brief chuckle. "You really are weird."

"The one who is weird is Aomine-kun."

"An immediate reply?!"

"How long must one be outside to obtain that sort of tan?"

"It's natural, dammit!"

"Well, it suits Aomine-kun quite handsomely then."

"You picking a fight with- Wait..." Aomine flushed. "How can you say such embarrassing things like that like it's nothing?!"

"I fail to see how it is embarrassing."

"People don't usually compliment each other like that! Much less to a guy!" Kuroko nodded in order to appease the shaking male.

"Then you look absolutely hideous, Aomine-kun."

"I didn't mean to start insulting me either!" Aomine shouted. Kuroko cocked her head.

"...What a hard person to please," she finally said. "Then Aomine-kun looks very mediocre."

"That's still an insult. You know what, never mind." Aomine said looking up with a grin. "Let's start with a one-on-one, Tetsu!"

Kuroko smiled. "As you wish, Aomine-kun."

...

"Hey, Tetsu. What's with the bandages?" Aomine asked the pale boy.

"Eh?" Kuroko lifted his arms. Any visible skin on both his legs and arms were covered except for his hands. "For sports... I'm clumsy so this usually prevents any serious injuries."

"Clumsy? You don't-" Aomine was cut off as Kuroko tripped backwards over a ball on the floor and landed with a thud. "I take that back. Damn, Tetsu. You've got to be more careful. How does one even blatantly trip over a ball the size of their head?" Aomine said as pulled the boy up.

"Because I do not have eyes in the back of my head to see a ball the size of Aomine-kun's head lying on the floor."

"Cheeky little..." Aomine lobbed a basketball at the boy who easily dodged. "I don't think I've seen somebody with so bandages before though. There's Midorima with his finger tape, but he takes that off before practice and games. How do you even get hurt in an inside court?"

"If I fall while running, the friction between the floor and my skin often causes burns. Perhaps it is a bit excessive," Kuroko contemplated. "Since it's already getting colder, I may switch to long sleeves instead."

"Huh," Aomine said. He had heard of carpet burns so he guessed it would make sense on hardwood floor as well to some degree.

"Ne, Aomine-kun. You must really love basketball, huh?" Kuroko asked with a small smile.

"Huh? Well of course I love it," Aomine said, rubbing the back of his head. He grinned wildly. "The thrill of the challenge whether you win or lose and giving the game everything you've got... It's the best!"

"What an admirable passion," the smaller teen said with a sigh.

"Hey, you've got lots of fire in you too. I haven't seen anybody this serious about basketball before." Aomine said, slapping the male on the back. Aomine panicked when the male fell to the floor. "Crap, sorry. I didn't mean to hit you so hard!"

"I'm fine. Aomine is exceptionally strong," Kuroko said with a wince as he got back on his feet. Aomine bit his lips. There was still a hint of pain on the smaller male's face that made him feel extremely guilty.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Hai. I'm just a bit sore from the training before."

"Ugh. Worrying me like that..." Aomine's eyes glanced at the clock. "Shit, Tetsu! It's past nine! We need to leave!"

"But we have to clean up."

"Alright, but let's hurry. Aw, my mom's gonna spank me," Aomine grumbled.

* * *

"Remember your midterms are in two weeks," Okawa-sensei finished.

"Hai," the class replied.

"Kuroko-kun, where are you? I need to talk to you..." Okawa said as she looked about apprehensively for the elusive student.

"You called, Sensei?"

The woman stifled the screech that had threatened to escape and cleared her throat.

"Yes. As I said, midterms are coming up. From the grades of the two you are tutoring, it seems you are doing quite well at your job. Their teachers are also quite pleased. However, to confirm their growth, there needs to be a significant difference between their pretests and their midterms. Do you understand where I am going?"

"Hai. I will make sure Murasakibara-kun and Haizaki-kun are prepared for the midterms," Kuroko said with a bow.

"Good. Thank you for your hard work."

"Hai. Arigato." Kuroko said with a bow.

"No need for thanks. If they do well on the midterms, you don't have to tutor them , go run along. It seems your friends are waiting," Okawa said with a chuckle as the boy nodded.

"What a nice boy..." Okawa said as she cleaned the board. Her head whipped around as she heard a large crash.

"Tetsuya, are you alright?" The red haired boy, Akashi asked as he offered a hand to Kuroko.

"Hai. I just bumped into the desk on my way out."

"You need to be more responsible," Midorima grumbled as he straightened the fallen desks.

"I apologize, Midorima-kun."

"It's not that I'm worried for you or anything," Midorima said as he shifted his glasses. "It's just that it's more troublesome for me..."

...

"Haizaki-kun, please pay attention."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Haizaki-kun, please. You have a big test coming up-"

"I said alright!" Haizaki yelled, slamming his pencil down. Murasakibara flinched slightly in surprise.

"Zaki-chi, you're too loud. This is a library."

"Shut the fuck up. I'm sick of this shit," Haizaki growled, standing up and walking away.

"Haizaki-kun..." Kuroko said also standing up to follow.

"You shouldn't do that, Kuro-chin. Zaki-chin might really get mad and it would be bad if Kuro-chin got hurt."

"But..."

"Zaki-chin will be back when he feels like it. It's not Kuro-chin's responsibility to chase after him wherever he goes."

"It isn't, but I feel bad it I just let him go like that."

"Kuro-chin only cares about Zaki-chin?" Murasakibara pouted. Kuroko waved her hands immediately.

"No, no. It's just Murasakibara-kun is such a good boy, and Haizaki-kun is in his rebellious phase... I'll go look for him later then," Kuroko said as she sat back down. "Which reminds me. If Murasakibara-kun does well on the midterms, he doesn't have to stay after school for tutoring sessions anymore."

"Eh? Really?" Murasakibara said happily. His face fell as he seemed to realize something. "But... that means I won't get maiubo anymore..." And after a bit of contemplation on the giant's part: "And I won't see Kuro-chin anymore," Murasakibara said glumly.

"I feel like an afterthought," Kuroko commented dully.

...

Haizaki let out a large sigh as he exited the school building. Finally. Freedom. He stretched, letting out a large groan. A glance at the sky told him all he needed to know. Mother was most likely still working, meaning he had some time to kill. He ignored the image of blank blue eyes staring in disappointment and the guilt that came with it. He caught a bus and headed towards the general direction of his home.

Haizaki stepped off at his stop and walked a couple blocks until he arrived at his destination. A convenience store.

The bell ringed merrily as he stepped in.

"Oh, Haizaki-kun!" The old man, Jun, said cheerily from behind the counter.

"Old man," Haizaki greeted with a grunt.

"Hoho. Your attitude hasn't improved at all it seems. I'm surprised you're here so early. Did you not say you were staying after for tutor sessions?" Jun asked with a raised brow. Haizaki snorted.

"I skipped of course."

"Haizaki-kun..." the man said gravely.

"Yeah, yeah." Haizaki said as he dropped his bag over the counter. "I should study and have a good job in the future." Haizaki shook off his blazer and put on an apron. "That just ain't my style. I'll do what I can now and worry about those things later."

"...Very well." Jun said as he stood up and tossed Haizaki a clipboard. "Our new shipment have goods have arrived. It seems I will have to depend on you for the heavy lifting."

"Of course," Haizaki said as his eyes scanned the page. "You're paying after all."

* * *

 **A/N: This took longer than it should have. I am so sorry, but I wasn't satisfied with some of the things I wrote as it didn't flow, and I got distracted writing some short and procrastination happened and- (excuses, excuses, etc. And pokemon). There might be minor grammatical errors, but I'll edit those out, hopefully. Be warned that updates may be even more sporadic. Thank you for all your support for this story, it makes me happy knowing so many people like it.**

 **-randomlittlephantom-**


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